The Pokemon World League
by The Fan Fiction Writer
Summary: The elite echelon of the world's trainers gather to determine the very first World Champion, expect political undertones and themes. OC's readily accepted. Rated T for now.
1. The Pokemon World League

**BR/N: I would have sent this chapter back earlier but I suddenly got stricken with a minor case (at least I think it is) of food poisoning. As this is the case, this chapter is probably not my best work. Hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless.**

**AN: This story is obviously set in an alternative universe, immediately after Ash's participation in the Sinnoh League.**

**I don't own Pokémon (but if I did the Best Wishes anime would cease to exist) or any characters apart from my own two OC's.**

**Also sorry for the update; I have been very busy in school and on the weekends I have taken up training for a possible career in Professional Wrestling.**

**Also, I strongly urge you dear readers to at the very least check out my beta reader's (Tendou Souji) own story. It is far superior to mine**

**Chapter I: The Pokémon World League.**

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><p><em>Dear Mr Ketchum, <em>

_Due to your outstanding performance in the Lily of the Valley Conference in the Sinnoh Region, I am delighted to inform you that you have been cordially invited to participate in the first ever Pokémon World League. This tournament is the first ever of its kind, a truly global event, trainers and coordinators alike from all over the world have been invited to test their skills and battle it out to determine the first ever World Champion. The tournament will begin on the 21st of October of this year on Championship Isle just off the coast of the Sevii Islands. Free transport and accommodation has been provided to you and two accompanying guests. _

_I thoroughly anticipate your arrival and participation in this prestigious tournament._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr Charles Goodshow, President of The Pokémon World League organizing committee _

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><p>An eager pair of eyes read over the letter for seemingly the one-hundredth time that hour; every word had been thoroughly implanted within the reader's mind. The sheer ecstasy that the reader was feeling was far too great for anything else to even matter. Not even the loud roaring noise emitted by the ferry's engine could break the trainer's sole and direct concentration. Ash Ketchum, the Trainer Prodigy from Pallet Town, Kanto was at his best in a sense of battling. The sixteen-year-old trainer had just finished strongly in the Sinnoh League where he was beaten by Tobias, a powerful trainer who utilized the immense power of both Darkrai and Latios to beat Ash in the Semi-Finals en route to winning the Sinnoh League. Due to his impressive performance, he had been invited to participate in the Pokémon World League, a global tournament, the first of its kind for that matter, that would eventually crown the first World Champion. After he had received his invitation, the raven-haired trainer gathered two of his closest friends-Brock and Dawn-and immediately set off to participate in the tournament. He was in such a rush to reach the tournament that he hadn't even had the time to change out of the clothes he had worn during his travels in Sinnoh.<p>

"Come on Ash, you are reading that letter _again_?" a feminine voice asked_._ "I was invited as well but you don't see me reading it constantly," the female continued, effectively ruining Ash's concentration. The black-haired trainer looked up awkwardly in response to the question, his eyes interlocking with a beautiful sapphire-haired teenager staring back directly into his face. Dawn was wearing her typical outfit which consisted of her signature beanie cap which sat perfectly on her head, a black and pink under-shirt with a V-shaped neck, a pink mini-skirt and on her feet she wore knee-high pink boots.

"Sorry that I can't contain myself, Dawn," Ash apologized. "In my defence, I think you know me too well to complain about my giddiness. I just can't wait to participate in this tournament!" He then yelled aloud, "Can this damn boat go any slower? I think I'm going to die of boredom!"

"I can't blame you for that," Dawn laughed softly with a blush. "I know how much you love to battle other people." She then looked down at Piplup who was sleeping on her lap. Dawn smiled as she rubbed Piplup's head; the action prompting the Penguin Pokemon to lean against her stomach.

"Well, you don't have long to wait," a deep male voice broke in. A tall, lean olive-skinned teenager wearing an orange and gray-coloured vest and green shirt sat down beside Ash.

"I know, Brock. But seriously, I have a solid chance of becoming the very first World Champion. I'll be famous!" Ash exclaimed, Pikachu nodded furiously, completely anticipating the tournament.

Brock chuckled, "Whatever you say, Ash." Having been acquainted with brown-eyed boy for six years, the former Pewter City Gym Leader was used to his antics.

Suddenly a static-like noise emitted from the internal PA system on the boat. Ash's ears immediately perked up as he secretly hoped that the Captain of the ship would inform them that they would be arriving at their destination shortly.

_"This is Captain Kirk speaking," _he announced over the PA system._ "I am thoroughly ecstatic to inform you that we are preparing to dock in the harbour of Celebration City. For those participating in the PWL, I would like to wish you luck on behalf of me and the staff of the SS Roger."_

"Alright, sweet!" Ash loudly exclaimed as he immediately leapt up from his seat, grabbed his suitcase and sprinted towards the nearest exit. Pikachu was, as always, by his trainer's side.

"Come on Ash!" Dawn exclaimed "Wait for me!" Dawn also left her seat, placed the sleeping Piplup on top of her roller suitcase and took off after Ash.

Brock could only chuckle as he grabbed his own suitcase and started to casually walk after the sprinting duo.

"Catch me if you can Dawn!" Ash yelled looking back at his friend who was in close pursuit.

"Slow up Ash!" Dawn panted in which sounded like a warning.

"Nice one Dawn, I ain't..." Ash's sentence was cut short as he ran head first into a large, imposing figure. Ash immediately fell back and slammed his head against the carpeted floor. Pikachu immediately ran to his fallen trainer's side.

"Alright, what son of a...," the figure Ash had collided into angrily seethed. He turned around with a scowl on his face but once he noticed Ash who was laid out on the floor, his face immediately transformed into one of apology. "Oh crap buddy, are you alright?" The figure extended his massive tree trunk-like arms in an offer of assistance. "Come on buddy, up you get."

Ash shook his head and looked up at the giant; shocked that he was offering assistance. Not one to turn down an apologetic individual, Ash reached out and grasped the blond-haired teen's hand. He was back on his feet in an instant.

"Ash!" Dawn chastised him in a motherly tone. "What did I tell you? You just ran head on into..." She realized that she did not know the towering figure's name. She asked, "I'm sorry but who might you be?"

"Chris, Christopher Moore," the figure introduced himself with an obvious blush. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He extended his giant, paw-like hand in offer of a handshake. _"Gosh, she's bloody gorgeous," _Chris inwardly thought. Chris stood at an impressive 6 foot, 6 inches despite only being seventeen, was heavily built and probably weighed around 240 pounds. He sported thick blond hair and had a scar that ran slightly above his right eyebrow. His deep, piercing blue eyes were a predominant feature on his otherwise large, shapeless face; however, he was above average in terms of the 'looks' department. He wore a chain around his neck which had a Poké Ball attached to it. He also donned on a worn and slightly beaten New England Patriots football jersey, blue denim trousers and black shoes that were at least size 14.

"I'm Dawn," she said shyly with a blush as she accepted Chris's offer for a handshake.

"Say are you sing-"

"I'm Ash, Ash Ketchum," Ash awkwardly interrupted, slurring his words thanks to the blow to the back of his head he had suffered due to the way he had landed. He also swayed awkwardly from side-to-side and was uneasy on his feet.

"Nice to meet you," Chris said with a very subtle hint of annoyance in his voice after being interrupted.

"I like to apologize on account for Ash for running into you like that," Dawn uttered shyly.

"No worries," Chris said with a slight chuckle. "I should be apologizing; I'm so flipping big that I thought I may have injured him."

"I'm fine," Ash insisted.

"No, let me take a quick look," Chris said adamantly. He looked directly into Ash's eyes and checked around the head of the dazed teenager. "You'll be fine." He added, "Just don't plan on hitting your head too hard in the near future."

"See Dawn?" Ash slurred "No biggie."

"You are such a child," Dawn sighed.

"What happened here?" Brock concernedly asked. He noted that Ash was having trouble stabilizing his centre of gravity.

"Ash here collided straight into me," Chris explained. The blue-eyed boy shot a quick glance at Ash. "Although, he suffered a bit more damage compared to me." He then looked at Brock before he extended a hand towards the womanizer. Chris introduced himself, "Hi, my name is Christopher Moore. If you don't mind me asking, aren't you the former Gym Leader of Pewter City?"

"Yeah, I'm Brock Harrison," Brock replied. "I vaguely remember you, you fought my Onix and Geodude with a Charmander and Buizel, am I correct?"

"Yup, that's me," Chris responded with a smile.

"Chris!" another voice called out. "There you are!" A fourteen-year-old, five-foot, eight-inch male ran up to Chris. The boy looked almost exactly like Chris, right down to the hair and eye colour; however unlike his brother he didn't have a scar running above his right eyebrow and had slightly sharper facial features. Much like his brother he wore a New England Patriots jersey, but instead of trousers he wore black tracksuit bottoms and a pair of white Nike trainers. Another point to note was that he was carrying two suitcases.

"Dawn, Ash, Brock. This is Josh, my younger brother," Chris said, introducing Josh to the three trainers. "And I'll be taking my suitcase back thank you." Chris simply snatched the suitcase piled on top of the other one as if the younger boy was his servant.

"It's your own darn fault for forgetting it," Josh retorted.

"Gosh, he looks _exactly _like you," Dawn remarked, quite amazed by the similarities between the two.

"Gee, thanks," Josh replied with an obvious blush.

"_This is Captain Kirk, we are preparing to disembark. Thank you for travelling with The Global Travel Company, we look forward to serve you in the future," _the ship's Captain stated over the PA system.

"It looks like in the midst of our conversation we have forgotten that we have arrived at our destination. Though I must say, I rather enjoyed your company, would you mind if Josh and I tag along for a while?" Chris asked, obviously wanting to spend a bit more time in the company of Dawn.

"Of course not, it would be nice to make new friends," Ash managed to slur with a smile. "Do you agree, Dawn?"

"Of course," Dawn said a slight blush.

"Excellent!" Chris exclaimed "Firstly, we better go register for the tournament."

"Sounds good to me," Ash said, his voice becoming less slurred "I'll be competing."

"Same here," Josh said "Just don't be too disappointed when I dominate the tournament and win."

"Hey Dawn, are you competing?" Chris asked with a welcoming smile.

"Yes, I'm not really a trainer, I'm a coordinator. But I was invited due to my runner-up achievement in the Sinnoh Ribbon Cup." By this stage, Dawn had returned the sleeping Piplup to his Poké Ball.

"What about you Brock?" Josh asked. "Surely a former gym leader was invited to a tournament of this significance."

"I was invited, but I politely declined. I've retired from active battling. I'm just here to support Ash and Dawn. However I might try my hand in the Tag Team Championship Division if I feel up to it," Brock explained.

"I guess we better get going," Ash announced, now nearly recovered from the blow to his head. Ash led the group to the nearest door and the group exited the ship. Upon walking down the ramp of the boat, the group were treated to a spectacular view of the skyline of Celebration City. Skyscrapers dominated the skyline, neon lights illuminated the city and gave it the feel of a modern city despite the fact that it was only in the afternoon. Shops and street vendors seemed to be the most common type of business in the area, each shop and stall either sold food, beverages or official Pokémon Battling merchandise such as replicas of Lance's infamous cape. Massive stadiums in which battles between skilled trainers would take place were common and spaced fairly regularly throughout the city. Celebration City was a true urban city. What made the city even more impressive was the fact that the city was almost designed to cater for massive sporting or battling events. Most Pokémon Battling-related companies such as Silph Co. had moved their headquarters to Celebration City.

"Wow, that's a huge stadium!" Ash exclaimed, pointing to one of the battling arenas which was impressive in size.

"If you think that is impressive, wait until you see Stadium One. It can hold up to 150,000 people; of course, the final will take place there," Josh said.

Chris could only whistle in amazement he was obviously imagining the grandeur of competing in the final in a stadium as big as the one Josh mentioned.

"Speaking of Stadium One, I'm pretty sure that this is where we need to go to for registration if memory serves me correct," Brock continued. The oldest of the group then took out a map of Celebration City. "Yes, it says so right here," Brock said, confirming his initial assumption.

"Sweet!" Ash exclaimed. "Aren't you excited, Pikachu?" he asked his trusty Mouse Pokémon which was contently perched on his left shoulder.

"_Pika!" _Ash's Pikachu exclaimed. The Electric-type Pokémon was as excited for the tournament as his trainer was.

"Darn Ash, you are really looking forward to this, aren't you?" Chris asked with a smirk and a raised right eyebrow.

"That is what I said!" Dawn exclaimed with an innocent laugh.

"Hey, I'm excited because I'm going to win the tournament!" Ash retorted excitedly

"Lies," Josh responded "_I'm _going to win!"

"No guys, you two are wrong. _I'm _winning this thing!" Chris cockily responded with a massive grin.

"Don't be surprised if I end up winning," Dawn said quietly, not really wanting to get involved in the ego-measuring contest between Ash, Chris and Josh.

"None of you guys are going to win if we don't register," Brock chuckled, reminding the group of what they had to do if they even wanted to participate in the first round of the tournament. Brock then took the initiative and led the group to Stadium One, with the assistance of his map of course.

After thirty or so minutes of walking into the centre of Celebration City, the group had finally reached their destination: Stadium One. As expected, the stadium was phenomenal in both size and appearance. Its size and grandeur could only be compared to other impressive stadiums throughout the world such as The Wembley Stadium in London and the Nou Camp in Barcelona. There were numerous statues of the greatest trainers throughout history erected outside the stadium such as Red, the phenomenally powerful trainer from Ash's hometown. The stadium itself was tremendously modern-looking; plasma screens littered the exterior of the stadium. Those screens were obviously intended for the enjoyment of people outside the stadium who couldn't gain a ticket for the matches that would take place in the coming weeks. A massive arch extended up above the open-top roof of the stadium and camera mounts were visible so that television viewers could catch the intense action in similar fashion to the audience in live attendance.

"Whoa, that's impressive," Chris whistled; his mental picture of what he thought the stadium would look like was similar to the stadium in real-life.

"My arms are still sore," Ash grumbled, clutching his right bicep with his left hand while holding his suitcase in his right hand.

"Ash, you complained for thirty minutes coming over here. Please, for the love of my sanity, don't complain for _another _thirty minutes," Josh sighed while feigning disdain by cradling his head with his left arm. "Plus, it's only a suitcase." He raised his own suitcase above his head to prove his point.

"Cut the chatter guys, we are here to register for the tournament, not to stand here horsing around," Chris said rather seriously, his competitive streak shining through.

"I agree," Ash stated. "One more step towards immortality." He then continued leading the group towards the stadium. His Pikachu puffed his chest out to show his confidence.

"By the end of this thing, I'll be saying one simple phrase; Veni, vidi, vici," Chris said rather massively.

"Huh?" Ash asked, obviously perplexed by the foreign phrase.

"I came, I saw, I conquered," Josh quickly translated.

"Excellent Joshua," Chris remarked feigning a pompous voice. He continued pompously, "The phrase was first uttered by the great Julius Caesar after winning a short war in 47 BC against Pharnaces II of Pontus, and _not _when he invaded Britain. A common misconception course."

"Another useless fact provided to you by the Moore brothers. That'll cost you $3.99," Josh simply and rather coolly stated. By this stage, the group had reached the front door of the stadium which was made out of transparent glass. It opened automatically as the group approached. Inside the front lobby were at least a dozen registration desks; each were attended by an employee of the tournament organisers and each attendant was tending to a trainer. Furthermore, the lobby was absolutely jam-packed by all different sorts of people: trainers; officials or just interested spectators.

"My goodness, there has to be at least 500 people here" Dawn muttered in sheer amazement.

"This is nothing, I heard there had been about over 1,000 people invited," Josh responded, he directly looked into Dawn's face and immediately blushed.

"And I'm going to beat 'em all!" Ash shouted in sheer exhilaration as he immediately took off for the nearest registration desk, which, of course, had a moderate amount of people waiting there.

"No more sugar for him," Chris sighed, much to the agreement of Brock, Dawn and Josh. The others then joined Ash in the queue. For the next 20 or so minutes, the group happily discussed the tournament, among other things. Chris was using the spare time to talk to Dawn. He was obviously trying to win her over.

Chris asked nervously, "So Dawn, um…, where are… um… you fr-"

"Hey Dawn, where are you from?" Josh quickly interrupted; he obviously didn't want Chris flirting with Dawn any longer as he was also interested in Dawn. Chris, severely annoyed by Josh's tactic non-verbally threatened to kill his younger brother by subtly pulling his thumb across his neck.

"I'm from Twinleaf Town, in Sinnoh," Dawn chirped happily.

"You don't say," Josh said. "Chris and I live about halfway between Twinleaf Town and Sandgem Town."

"So you live in the country house with the barn, just off Route 201?" Dawn asked.

"Yup, that's us," Josh replied in exhilaration. Brock could only look on in utter amusement of the Moore brother's antics; however Ash, who was next in the registration line, was too absent-minded to notice the shenanigans behind him.

"Oh, yeah!" Ash shouted exuberantly, this of course cut the tension between Chris, Josh and Dawn. The rest of the group turned around only to see Ash sprint up to the registration in sheer excitement, his loyal Pikachu in tow.

"Hello and welcome to Stadium One. My name is Martina Sanders, may I validate your invitation?" the attendant asked politely with a genuine smile on her face.

"Of course," Ash said, he almost immediately took the invitation letter out of his inside coat pocket and handed it to the attendant.

"Excellent," the attendant beamed before briefly examining the letter to confirm its authenticity. She then handed the letter back to Ash who then neatly folded it and placed it back in his inside coat pocket. "May I have your Pokèdex to complete the registration?"

"Certainly," Ash excitedly responded, he handed over his trusty Pokédex which had served him so well throughout his travels in Sinnoh. The attendant then placed Ash's Pokédex into a specific slot in the kiosk's computer station. After a brief moment of data transmission, Ash's registration into the Pokémon World League was complete.

"I sincerely hope you do well," the attendant beamed handing Ash back his Pokédex and a lanyard that had his official participation card which identified him as a participant in the tournament. Ash looped the lanyard around his neck and wore it with such pride that it could easily have been mistaken that he had just won an Olympic gold medal.

"I'll go next," Chris said with a small grin on his face as he confidently strode up to the registration kiosk. "Hello there, ma'am," the blond-haired boy greeted in a gentlemanly manner. Chris, having observed Ash's registration, obviously knew what to do as he instantly handed over his registration letter.

"Thank you, sir," the attendant pleasantly responded in return. She quickly checked the letter before handing it back to Chris. "Everything seems to be in order, Master Moore."

"Fantastic." Chris grinned as he instantly handed the attendant his black Pokédex while he took back his registration letter. As with Ash, the attendant slotted Chris' Pokédex into the slot in the computer. After confirming his registration Chris was handed his own lanyard. This continued onto Josh's and Dawn's registration which followed the exact same formula as Chris' and Ash's registration.

"Remember the opening ceremony and tournament draw takes place out on the battlefield tomorrow. As participants you can use the battler's entrance and stand out on the field but unfortunately your friend has to watch from the stands," the attendant stated.

"That's no problem to me," Brock insisted. "I've gotten pretty used to it by now."

"It's ok Brock; the sight of me winning the tournament will make it all worthwhile!" Ash exclaimed with his signature enthusiasm.

"Screw that, _I'm _winning this thing!" Chris cockily insisted.

"Over my dead body," Josh said playfully.

"That can be arranged," Chris chuckled. The group left the stadium lobby and ended up on the street outside of the stadium.

"What now?" Ash questioned "What do you guys want to do?"

"Well uh, this is kind of awkward," Chris said nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I've had a real good time today... and uh... I was wondering, do you guys want to stay with me and Josh?"

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, obviously intrigued.

"I was going to use my prize money from the Sinnoh Battle Frontier on renting out an apartment to stay in, with Josh of course, for the duration of the tournament. I can't stand hotel rooms due to their usually minuscule size... and uh... I'm guessing there will be plenty of room... so what I mean is that, you guys are more than welcome to come and stay with us... If you want of course, no pressure," Chris stuttered nervously, his whole body shaking from his nervousness.

"Are you serious?" Brock pondered aloud.

"Why would I lie? I've felt that I've made new friends today," Chris breathed out excitedly.

"Plus, the thought of me only staying with my brother makes me sad," Josh said while dramatically swooning to the ground. He got a shoulder barge from his elder brother in response to his pathetic act. He continued nervously, "So, what do you think of this proposition, Dawn?"

"I'm in!" Ash interrupted excitedly, not even realising his rudeness.

"I must say, I'd be happy to spend more time with you two," Dawn said with a slight blush. "I hope there is a jacuzzi."

"_Holy crap, this is awesome," _Chris thought, nearly exploding with joy.

"Excellent!" Josh cried with sheer happiness

"I'm glad you've taken such a liking to us," Brock chuckled.

"Are you kidding? You three have broken the record of staying in our company the longest. Most people find us to be pretentious jackasses," Chris laughed loudly. "I'll lead the way; I made a reservation before I left Sinnoh."

"Sounds good to me!" Dawn beamed.

"Lead the way Chris!" Ash bellowed with sheer enthusiasm.

"Sweetness," Chris chuckled before leading the group to the apartment he mentioned.

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><p>"This is it, Room 1901," Chris said looking at the apartment door. He took a key out his pocket and opened the door. "Lady and gentlemen... and Josh, welcome to Home Base." He stepped aside courteously and allowed the others to enter before him.<p>

"Wow!" Dawn beamed "This is amazing!" Her eyes shot around the room and examined her surroundings. The front door led into a main 'living area'. There were several black leather reclining armchairs and one large sofa of similar production. A relatively large LCD television was located against the far right wall inside of a wooden TV cabinet. Conjoined to the living area was the kitchen area which was fully complimented by a wooden table, several chairs, a fridge, a freezer, an oven, a microwave oven, an electric cooker, a dish washer and a marbled food-preparation area. On the far side of the room there was a large, double sized glass sliding door that led out into a small balcony which provided a view of the urban sprawl of Celebration City. A single hallway led to a number of rooms such as two bathrooms, five bedrooms and a room which contained a washing machine and tumble-dryer.

"I claim biggest room!" Chris bellowed. Utilizing his upper-body strength and powerful, tree-trunk like legs, Chris easily charged passed the others and flung his suitcase onto the bed in the master-bedroom, there by claiming the room as his own.

"Damn you," Josh seethed in both anger and disappointment. Josh claimed the room closet to Chris'. Brock and Dawn claimed their own rooms. However Ash chose to sink comfortably into one of the armchairs.

"This is awesome," Ash sighed in sheer relief "What about you Pikachu?"

"_Pikachu," _his loyal partner cooed softly, the Mouse Pokémon curled into his trainer's lap and instantly fell asleep. At this point Chris re-emerged from his room with quite a number of two-litre bottles of Diet Coke. The seventeen-year-old trainer then started to stack the bottles into the fridge.

"Hey Chris, what are you doing?" Ash asked, genuinely interested in Chris' actions.

"Oh nothing, I just want to make sure our supplies of Diet Coke are sufficient, you can never have too much you know," Chris replied even though he was totally engrossed in stacking his precious bottles.

"I was wondering, before the ceremony tomorrow, do you want to have a small one-on-one battle?" Ash suddenly asked, his voice dripping with his signature enthusiasm.

"Ash," Chris said simply rising to his feet and facing his new friend. "This is the beginning of a _beautiful _friendship." He turned around to face Ash with a wide grin stretched across his features.

"So…, does that mean you accept?" Ash queried, excitedly rising to his feet.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Chris goofily exclaimed.

"Hey, I want in on this," Josh interrupted as he emerged out of his room; he was obviously eavesdropping on the conversation. Brock and Dawn also emerged from their respective rooms and made their way into the living area.

"Well, we can't have a three-way battle. It's kind of impractical," Chris said.

"You guys can't leave me out of this," Dawn complained "I'm participating too you know."

"I suggest a tag battle," Brock coughed. "Elimination rules, two-on-two. Chris and Josh versus Dawn and Ash. I'll referee of course."

"I'm in" Josh shrugged

"Me too," Dawn agreed.

"Don't forget me!" Ash bellowed in sheer joy.

"The losing team buys dinner," Chris stated. "I'm most certainly in."

Brock nodded, inwardly grateful to Chris for that suggestion. He did not have the proper ingredients to cook a decent dinner anyway. "It's agreed then."

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><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**I wanted to keep this chapter short and sweet. I hate pointless prolonged chapters so I stream-lined this one.**

**Also the main group probably won't expand beyond Chris, Josh, Brock, Dawn and Ash. Don't ask for your OC to be featured. If you consistently review and/or have submitted a good OC your character has a good chance of appearing several times.**

**Remember to review, if not I'll kill a kitten. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! **


	2. Battling is a trainer's best friend!

**A/N: Remember, as far as the canon of the universe this fic is set in, the story takes place immediately after the Sinnoh League, therefore character biographies will be similar to that exact moment. For example, Dawn's Cyndaquil has not evolved yet. Also, move descriptions will match those of the Diamond and Pearl series, 'cause Best Wishes sucks... seriously.**

**BR/N: I, on the other hand, still think it has potential. I'm just hope that N will be introduced though I think that'll happen in the second season of the Best Wishes series. It'll be interesting to see which dragon sides with whom.**

**A/N: ^^^ Ignore that :P **

**On another note, the Illusion ability of Zorua and Zoroark while be like it is in the anime, e.g. the Pokémon can take any form of Pokémon or human.**

**Sorry about the length of time it took for me to update. I've been **_**really **_**sick lately and I've been very busy trying to catch up at school. Also, this chapter was supposed to include the opening ceremony but due to time constraints, I have decided to save it for the next chapter.**

Chapter Two: Battling is a trainer's best friend!

"Rise and shine! It's ten o'clock! Wake the heck up!" Chris bellowed as he paced up and down the hallway. When he did not get the desired results, the teenager slammed his fists in the other's bedroom doors in an attempt to wake them up. Chris was fully dressed in the exact same clothes that he wore the previous day, though they had obviously been washed clean of all the sweat and grime. A new addition to his casual apparel was a gold-plated Pokéball which was attached to a chain around his neck.

"I swear I'd kill you if you weren't a freaking genetic monster," Josh muttered, emerging from his own bedroom. The younger Moore sibling was wearing a simple white cotton shirt and a pair of black boxer shorts.

"Good morning, young Joshua!" Chris pompously exclaimed "You'd better get washed and dressed real soon, 'less you want Dawn to look at you in your current state." The taller of the two teens let out a loud laugh, envisioning the scene of Dawn yelling at his brother in his head.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind that." When Josh caught sight of the gleefulness leaving his brother's expression, he smirked as he mentally congratulated himself for managing to get under Chris's skin.

"You jackass!" Chris seethed. He drew his right fist back to strike his brother in the face. However, much to Chris' chagrin, his younger brother was able to utilize his superior speed to flee into one of the bathrooms. Once inside, Josh promptly locked the door to protect himself from Chris. The latter promptly stomped towards the wooden bathroom door and punched it repeatedly. "Do you seriously think a freaking wooden door will save you?" He then bellowed, "You can't escape my eternal wrath!"

"What's the noise all about?" Brock yawned sleepily, stepping out of his room in a daze. He was rubbing his eyes in sheer exhaustion. Despite his state of tiredness, he managed to get dressed.

"Oh nothing, Josh and I were just messing around with each other. Sorry for the noise," Chris apologized. "I've put some bagels in the toaster but Ash told me last night that you are a very good cook. If you want to take over making breakfast for everyone that'll be great but if you don't want to then it's totally fine."

"I'd be more than happy to cook breakfast. I'd better do something useful around here," Brock lightly chuckled before making his way into the kitchen area.

"Excellent!" Chris boomed with a warm smile.

"Good morning everyone," Dawn greeted in her signature cheerful tone as she emerged from her room. Dawn was wearing her sleeping pyjamas; her hair lacked the signature yellow hair clips she usually wore.

"He-Hell-Hello, Dawn…," Chris managed to stammer with a huge blush. "Josh is... in that... ah, bathroom." The towering teen pointed shakily at said bathroom where his younger brother chose to lock himself in to escape his wrath.

"Thanks!" Dawn cheerfully replied, completely oblivious to Chris's blush and stammer. Dawn immediately made her way into the other vacant bathroom.

"_Smooth,"_Chris inwardly thought which was of course followed up by a prompt face-palm.

"Why did you have me wake me up Chris?" Ash whined stumbling out of his room in a near exhausted state. His trusty Pikachu traipsed out of the room behind his trainer; the Pokemon instantly made its way into the living area of the apartment and promptly fell asleep in the corner of the room. Ash had obviously fallen asleep with his clothes still on and thus was fully clothed when he emerged from his room. The raven-haired teenager wasn't wearing his official Sinnoh League baseball cap and thus his messy, spiked hair stood out from his head at many angles.

"Because you suggested that Tag Battle last night and I want to kick your ass," Chris cockily stated with a confident and smug smirk.

"No way!" Ash loudly exclaimed in a retort. "All of my Pokémon are in the best shape of their lives! No one can beat them!"

"Hey, you are talking to a former Sinnoh League and Sinnoh Battle Frontier Champion here. I'm not easy to take down," Chris divulged some information about himself to the Kanto native. "Plus, I've been doing some major training over the last few months as I haven't been travelling."

"My Infernape could beat you," Ash claimed with a confident smile, the two trainers were verbally sparring like the best of friends.

"Oh please Ash, my Buizel is at least twice the size of an average Buizel. Taking care of Fire-types is Jet's speciality," Chris shot back, sticking out his tongue in a childlike manner.

"I have a Buizel of my own; it's a powerhouse so you shouldn't underestimate me," Ash responded in an overly-confident tone. Catching sight of the colouration of the Pokéball hung around Chris's neck, Ash queried, "Hey, why is that Pokéball gold-plated?"

"You'll find out in good time, my friend," Chris said in a rather patronising tone.

"First batch of bagels are ready!" Brock called from the kitchen, causing Ash and Chris to focus on a more pressing matter than their upcoming mock battle; breakfast. Chris looked down at Ash with a grin.

"I'll race you," Chris chuckled

"You're on," Ash lightly laughed in response. Ash, being the smaller of the two, used his speed to immediately set off into the kitchen area.

"That's not gonna work, buddy!" Chris growled with a slight, nearly undetectable hint of anger in his voice. Chris used his impressive, monstrous strength to pin Ash against the wall while he quickly sprinted into the kitchen. Chris immediately snatched three of the four bagels on the table before literally jumping into the nearest chair and started to gorge on his food.

"Hey! No fair!" Ash called out, solemnly taking the last bagel.

"'Stretch or starve', it's the Moore family motto!" Chris chuckled in response in between mouthfuls.

"Don't worry Ash, the next batch will be ready in a few minutes," Brock said patting the younger trainer on the shoulder.

"Thanks Brocko, you're the best!" Ash extolled. Ash then made his way over to the armchair next to Chris. Chris had made himself comfortable by placing his legs on the large coffee table near his chair; he was lazily flicking through the TV channels while finishing the rest of his bagels.

"Sweet, the Patriots are playing later today," Chris idly remarked "It's a pity that I'll be too busy kicking your ass, Ketchum."

"You wish," Ash scoffed before taking a large, ravenous bite out of his bagel.

"Awesome! Global Today News is on!" Chris exclaimed excitedly. He immediately set the remote down on the coffee table and started to watch the TV with great interest.

* * *

><p>"Welcome back from the break," the female news anchor with a youthful face and blond, straightened hair beamed into the camera. "My name is Gretchen Kelly and here I have a very special guest; you may know him as Adrian De La Vere, owner of the De La Vere Global Foundation."<p>

"Thank you Gretchen," the male sitting on the sofa beside the news anchor warmly greeted. Adrian De La Vere was a tall, well-built man who sported perfectly bronzed and natural skin. Judging by his facial features, Adrian was no more than thirty-seven-years-old. His face was strong and firm which was complemented by a perfectly chiselled chin. His strong features radiated confidence, defiance and independence, all factors that shape a successful entrepreneur. The man's black hair was brushed back in to a ponytail which ran down the back of his neck and ended approximately in the centre of his shoulder blades. De La Vere wore an expensive, suede Italian suit which accompanied and complimented the black shirt he wore underneath.

"Thanks for having me," Adrian bantered.

"Mr. De La Vere, I must say that it is an honour to have you here, sir," the anchor stated.

"Gretchen, please, it really is my pleasure." Adrian smiled warmly. His smile emitted a sense of warmth and security.

"It has been well documented that you are main sponsor of the Pokémon World League; an event which is due to start today. Its opening ceremony will be taking place in Celebration City on Celebration Isle if I am correct."

"Indeed you are, Gretchen. I am a big fan of Pokémon battling, but sadly the strategy involved is definitely not in my repertoire. I am sponsoring and funding the event to provide trainers from all over the world the means to gather and contest their skills against one another," Adrian stated smoothly. He seemed to be a natural in front of the camera.

"If I recall correctly, this event has been in the making for over seven years and you personally aided in the funding of Celebration City, the city that shall serve as the foundation for this tournament," Gretchen mentioned to Adrian.

"Correct, in fact the opening ceremony is today, sadly I must tend to several business errands, and I sincerely regret not being able to attend this wondrous event," Adrian responded, sounding genuinely disappointed. "I'll be sure to be in attendance for several of the matches during the tournament. I thoroughly look forward to crowning the first ever globally-recognised World Champion."

* * *

><p>"Indeed Mr. De La Vere, it has been a pleasure having you here, but sadly we must go to commercial break," the female news anchor said directly to her guest. She then looked directly at the camera and addressed the audience, "I hope that you all will be with us when we return with our next guest."<p>

"Sweet," Chris muttered. "That guy is awesome. I mean, he funded this entire thing simply because he loves battling, now _he _is the example of what all humans should be."

"He sure is rich," Ash whistled.

"It's called capitalism Ash, the greatest and quite frankly the only viable way to regulate an economy. It plays perfectly with our awesome system of democracy, free and fair elections with a free and fair economy. Success is based on individual merit, as it should be," Chris soliloquized rapidly in a passionate tone.

"Ah, the good ol' 'Screw socialism, go Capitalism' speech. Sorry you had to listen to that Ash," Josh sighed from the kitchen. The younger Moore brother was now fully dressed and eagerly anticipating the next round of bagels.

"Don't forget the whole 'Screw the whole left-wing of the political spectrum' speech!" Chris shouted from his seat, but his remark seemingly fell on deaf ears.

"So you don't agree with Chris' views then?" Brock asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not that. I fully agree with most of them. I just don't like it when he shoves his views down people's throats. Hence why he will probably die alone... or some Liberal who disagrees with him will crack open his skull with a sledgehammer," Josh said elaborated in a humorous tone.

"Hey! I heard that!" Chris yelled from his seat. "That word shall not be muttered in this house!"

"What word?" Ash asked innocently.

Chris grinned in response. "'Liberal', of course."

"See what I mean?" Josh sighed while literally slapping his palm into his forehead.

"Oh Chris, whatever shall we do with you?" Brock chuckled lightly as he set the next round of bagels on the table.

"Well, you can start by giving me those bagels," Chris replied with a goofy grin as he took a bagel and shoved it in his mouth. It was a wonder that he did not choke.

"Hi guys!" Dawn chirped as she emerged from her own room, now fully dressed in her signature pink and black mini-skirt, white beanie cap, and pink boots. The sheer sight of the teenager made Chris choke on his bagel.

"Ugh... oh crap, I need... water," Chris rasped, signalling towards the water tap in the kitchen sink.

"Oh, dear me!" Dawn exclaimed. She immediately took the initiative and poured Chris a glass of water before quickly handing it to the choking teenager. Chris then quickly gulped all of the liquid, seemingly clearing his throat.

"Thanks, Dawn," Chris coughed with a pretty major blush.

"Hey, it's a walking, talking tomato," Josh pointed out, referring to the massive blush on his brother's face.

"Shut up, I just choked on a bagel," Chris seethed.

"It's not the only thing you are choking on," Josh slyly commented.

"SHUT UP!" Chris roared.

"Yup, you two sure are brothers," Brock chuckled.

* * *

><p>After finishing breakfast, the group of five (six if you count Pikachu) left the apartment and headed to a nearby public park for the promised tag battle which they agreed upon yesterday. They actually had the option of using the sanctioned practice arenas which were provided by the organisers of the Pokémon World League. However, since the practice arenas were expected to be very crowded and busy, the group (particularly Ash and Chris) just wanted to get straight to battling. They found a nice, quiet and rather large clearing in the park which had almost no human life in the vicinity; this ensured the group's privacy.<p>

"Ok guys; let's make sure this is a nice clean battle. If your Pokémon is defeated you are eliminated from the match-up. The last Pokémon, or team standing, is the winner. Is everyone in agreement?"

"Sure thing, Brocko!" Ash said in an excited tone. The Pallet Town native was obviously eager to start the battle.

"_Pika!"_Ash's Pikachu cried in agreement, the ever-loyal Mouse Pokémon stood by its trainer's side.

"No complaints from me!" Dawn stated. Dawn had let her Piplup out of his Pokéball. Like Ash's Pikachu, Dawn's starter Pokémon stood by her side.

Josh nodded eagerly. "I agree with the rules. I hope we have a good time guys."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Chris mused with a cocky, competitive grin.

"Ok then, begin!" Brock declared.

"Would you like to battle Pikachu?" Ash asked his trusty partner. As always Pikachu was Ash's first choice in battles.

"_Pika! Pikachu!"_the Electric-type Pokémon cried in sheer joy. The energetic Pokémon bounded onto the impromptu battlefield and awaited orders.

"Cyndaquil! Spotlight!" Dawn cried; she lobbed a Pokéball into the air which in turn released Dawn's Fire Mouse Pokémon in a flash of bright light. The Pokémon took up a fighting stance alongside Ash's Pikachu; the Fire-type Pokémon's back erupted into flames, signalling that the Cyndaquil was prepared for battle.

"Fair enough," Josh shrugged. "Shadowbolt! Standby for battle!" Josh released his own Pokémon, a Luxio, onto the field. The lion-like Pokémon roared and then prepared itself for battle by stalking close to the ground, ready to pounce on the nearest opponent.

"My turn, I guess," Chris goofily enunciated. The tall teenager pondered about whether or not he should use the Pokémon contained in the gold-plated Pokéball that was attached to the chain around his neck, but ultimately decided against it in the end. Instead, he unclipped a Pokéball from the collection attached to his belt. He shouted, "Caedus, battle stance!" The older of the Moore duo lobbed his own Pokéball into the air which released what appeared to be a Riolu in a flash of white.

"Wow! A Riolu!" Dawn exclaimed "It's so cute". However a small, almost unnoticeable smile crept across the face of both Josh and Chris.

"Ok Pikachu, use Quick Attack on Shadowbolt!" Ash called, issuing the first command of the match-up.

The yellow-furred Mouse Pokémon charged across the grassy battlefield towards Josh's Luxio, a silver streak trailing behind the Pikachu.

"Shadowbolt, dodge and then use Tackle!" Josh quickly ordered.

His Luxio used its rather impressive speed to evade the oncoming Pikachu. The lion-like Pokémon then used all of its body weight to collide into the smaller electric Pokémon, which of course sent the Pikachu crashing into the ground.

On the other side of the field, Chris's and Dawn's Pokémon circled around each other, both daring each other to make the first move. Chris was emotionally torn between battling to shine his own ego and not battling in case he accidently injured Dawn's Cyndaquil, possibly ruining what he perceived to be a budding 'romance'.

"Cyndaquil, use Flame Wheel!" Dawn commanded, breaking the tension.

The fire sprouting out of the Fire Mouse Pokémon's back immediately engulfed the entire body of the small Fire-type Pokémon. The Cyndaquil then curled itself into a ball and started to hurtle through the air towards its foe.

"Caedus, use Protect and then use Quick Attack!"

Chris's 'Riolu' quickly formed a protective bubble around its immediate vicinity. The barrier protected the Pokémon from the Cyndaquil which bounced harmlessly off the surface of the bubble. Caedus then used the opening to speed towards its vulnerable foe and crashed its full body weight into the side of the small Fire-type Pokémon, which was rather comically sent flying into the air before crashing back down to the ground earth, accidently doing several somersaults in the process. At the same time, Josh's Shadowbolt and Ash's Pikachu were trying to get an advantage over each other as they both tried to tackle each other to the ground

"Another Quick Attack!" Chris called.

His Pokémon repeated the previous move as it thundered across the field with the obvious intent of inflicting more damage to its opponent.

"Flamethrower!" Dawn quickly ordered.

Her Cyndaquil's back ignited in flames, signalling a temporary power boost in the small Fire-type's body. The Fire Mouse Pokémon quickly fired a massive burst of molten hot flames towards its incoming foe.

"Evade!" Chris bellowed.

Unfortunately for Chris and his Pokémon, the former's order came a tad bit late as the stream of flames engulfed Chris' Pokémon. The 'Riolu' fell to the ground, obviously injured from enduring the Fire-type attack. As Chris' Pokémon lay on the ground, the 'Riolu' faded away like a flickering high-definition image, leaving a Zorua sprawled on the ground. Due to the damage sustained, Caedus's Illusion ability failed to sustain an image of another Pokémon, meaning that the Zorua's greatest advantage was no longer a factor in the battle.

"Oh cool! It's a Zorua!" Dawn cried out in awe.

"You've seen one before?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, we encountered a Zoroark and Zorua in Crown City shortly after the Sinnoh League," Brock told him.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash called from the other side of the field.

The yellow mouse-like Pokémon's cheeks cackled with electricity as it began to charge up for one of its favourite attacks. A massive output of electricity then shot out of Pikachu's red cheeks.

"Shadowbolt, stand your ground and absorb the Thunderbolt attack with Charge!" Josh ordered, easily thinking up an appropriate counter to Pikachu's Thunderbolt.

Josh's Luxio dug its paws into the grass and took Pikachu's attack head-on; the Spark Pokémon siphoned the electricity from the attack and stored it safely within its body. However, it was clear that Luxio had sustained a degree of damage.

"Excellent!" Josh praised. "Now then, show them your own Thunderbolt!"

His Luxio then unleashed its own torrent of electricity which struck Ash's Pikachu directly in the chest cavity, this making Pikachu's small body jolt due to the sheer amount of electricity coursing through its veins. Pikachu collapsed to the ground in pure agony.

"Caedus, use Shadow Ball," Chris ordered, folding his arms across his chest.

An orb of shadowy energy formed in the muzzle of Chris' Zorua as the Tricky Fox Pokémon fired the sphere towards Dawn's Cyndaquil.

"Evade!" Dawn cried out in desperation. However, she could only watch in utter helplessness as Caedus's Shadow Ball attack struck her Cyndaquil before it could evade the attack. The blue-haired girl twitched a little as her Pokémon was propelled backwards and crashed onto the ground.

"Whoa, these two are good," Ash muttered.

"Tell me about it," Dawn agreed with a slight sigh.

* * *

><p>"Oh, come on, Umbreon," a voice called out. However, the command fell on deaf ears due to the Moonlight Pokémon's concentration on a particular scent. Examining the scent with a few deep, inhaling sniffs, the Dark-type Pokémon immediately identified the source of the scent; a Caterpie which was busy munching on a leaf. The Umbreon licked its lips as crouched low to the ground, ready to pounce and feast on the Caterpie's flesh.<p>

"Umbreon, come on! We are going to be late!" the voice said rather sternly. The Pokémon looked up and saw its trainer's rather amused face. "Hungry, are ya?"

The Moonlight Pokémon nodded and began to beg its trainer for some food. The Umbreon's trainer was an average-sized teenager, with spiked, brown hair and deep, green-coloured eyes. The trainer wore a pendant around his neck which resembled a rain drop, a black t-shirt, brown cargo pants, and a grey rucksack on his back.

"Hang on Umbreon," Gary assured his companion. "Once we reach our destination, I'll get some food... for both of us."

Gary and his Pokémon continued on their way through the streets. They passed several shops offering official PWL merchandise for sale; however, what Gary noticed the most was the amount of trainers that had occupied the area. It wasn't an exaggeration. There were trainers from all over the world and Gary noticed the sheer amount of Pokémon with them; he could have tried to count them all but easily would have lost count before he even reached a small fraction of the total amount of trainers and Pokémon.

"Whoa, we are going to have to train hard if we want to progress beyond the group stage," Gary muttered to himself.

* * *

><p>"Cyndaquil, use Swift!" Dawn instructed.<p>

Star-shaped energy projectiles were promptly fired out of the small Fire Mouse Pokémon's mouth.

"Shadowbolt, block it with Thunderbolt," Josh calmly countered. His Luxio quickly charged up a sufficient amount of energy before releasing it through its tail to block the incoming star-shaped projectiles. He then coolly ordered, "Strike back with Bite."

Nodding its head, Shadowbolt charged full speed across the field, bearing its sharp teeth at its opponent as it was ready to inflict serious damage on Cyndaquil.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" Dawn hastily commanded.

Her Cyndaquil acknowledged Dawn's command as it almost immediately fired out a fiery hot stream of fire towards the incoming Luxio. Unfortunately for Josh and his Pokémon, there was no time to appropriately counter Dawn's command. Therefore, the stream of flames completely engulfed the Electric-type Pokémon and severely singed the Luxio's fur coat.

On the other side of the field, Caedus and Pikachu were circling each other, daring each other to make the first move.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash bellowed as he suddenly broke the silence.

Pikachu responded to his trainer's orders by charging full speed across the field. The Mouse Pokémon's tail started to glow a bright white colour and its hardness increased ten-fold.

"Caedus, use Protect," Chris calmly ordered. A protective bubble of energy suddenly appeared around Chris' Dark-type Pokémon. As a result of the protective manoeuvre, Pikachu bounced harmlessly off the protect bubble and landed quite uneasily on its feet. Wanting to regain the momentum, Chris swiftly called, "Use Shadow Ball, Caedus!"

A black-coloured orb of Ghost-type energy formed in the muzzle of Chris's Zorua. Caedus then fired the Shadow Ball directly towards Ash's disorientated Pikachu which could do little to avoid the incoming attack. The Shadow Ball slammed directly into Pikachu's abdominal region causing the Electric-type Pokémon to collapse in a torrent of coughs.

"Luxio, hit Cyndaquil with Spark!" Josh commanded.

Shadowbolt's body started to cackle throughout with electricity. The Luxio then charged towards its much smaller foe.

"Swift!" Dawn called in sheer desperation.

The Fire Mouse Pokémon tried to counter the incoming attack, but Luxio's speed made it impossible for Cyndaquil to even execute it. This allowed Josh's Shadowbolt to crash into the smaller foe. Due to the ferocity of the attack, Dawn's Pokémon was knocked completely unconscious.

"Dawn's Cyndaquil is unable is to battle!" Brock declared as Dawn returned her Pokémon back to its Pokéball.

"Oh…, sorry about that, Dawn. I think I kinda over did it there," Josh said with a tinge of sorrow in his voice.

"Ah, no worries, I was just trying to get Cyndaquil some battle experience, I should've known better and not used a Pokémon so young against a much older Pokémon," Dawn replied in her signature cheery voice. The sapphire-haired teenager then exited off the impromptu battlefield and stood beside Brock.

"Two against one Ash, this doesn't look good for you," Chris taunted with a grin.

"Pikachu has overcome more difficult situations than this," Ash confidently replied.

"Fair enough, I like your 'never-say-die' attitude." Chris sent a nod Ash's way in respect. "Caedus, let's start this with a Shadow Ball."

The Tricky Fox Pokémon formed an orb of Ghost-type energy within its muzzle. Caedus then fired the Shadow Ball towards Ash's Pikachu.

"Return to sender with an Iron Tail!" Ash ordered in a counter to Chris' command.

Pikachu jumped up into the air, and smashed the Shadow Ball right back towards Chris' Zorua with its now rock-hard, iron-coated tail. The Shadow Ball travelled back over the battlefield and smashed its original sender directly in the face; this, of course, temporarily knocked Caedus out of the battle.

"Hit 'em with Spark!" Josh called. His Luxio's body cackled with electricity as it thundered across the field towards Ash's Pikachu.

"Dodge and then use Iron Tail!" Ash bellowed.

The Electric Mouse Pokémon used its impressive speed to dodge the incoming Luxio. Pikachu's tail then started to glow a bright white colour, while the density and hardness of the tail multiplied hundred-fold. The Electric-type Pokémon then brought its tail down directly onto Luxio's head, instantly knocking it out and causing Shadowbolt to crumple to the ground in defeat.

"Shadowbolt is unable to battle!" Brock instantly declared.

"Son of a –" Josh muttered rather angrily as he recalled his fallen Pokémon back into its Pokéball. Josh then stormed off the field and stood next to Brock with a frown on his face as he could only watch the remainder of the battle.

"Ok, it looks like it's just me and you now," Ash observed with a grin. His opponent could only look on in utter bewilderment in the prompt defeat of Josh's Pokémon.

"I'll give you that Ash. You proved me wrong," Chris lightly chuckled. By this time, his Zorua had risen back to its feet and pumped itself up to resume the battle. Chris' face then contorted to that of pure arrogance. He exclaimed, "It's clobberin' time!"

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash hastily ordered, obviously trying to gain the advantage early on.

The Electric Mouse Pokémon gave out a determined cry as it took off across the field towards its Caedus.

"Meet him head on with Take Down!" Chris confidently ordered; his own Pokémon charged head-on towards its quickly approaching foe.

"Jump in the air to evade and then use Iron Tail!" Ash instructed firmly.

Pikachu used its powerful hind legs to leap into the air. Its tail then started to glow a bright white colour.

"Gotcha!" Chris cried out gleefully. "Caedus use Shadow Ball!"

The Zorua obeyed its master's orders by firing a hastily-prepared Shadow Ball straight into the underbelly of Pikachu as it came back down to the ground. The sheer force of the attack caused Pikachu to descend from the air and crash down onto the ground in pure agony.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out in desperation. He then sighed in relief as his Pikachu slowly, but surely raised itself to its feet; it took a few seconds for the Pikachu to re-orientate itself to its surroundings. Ash then pointed a finger at Caedus as he ordered, "Strike back with Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu quickly charged up a substantial amount of electricity before blasting it through the air towards Chris's Zorua. Unfortunately for Chris, the Thunderbolt attack struck Caedus which of course nearly fried its internal organs. Caedus collapsed to the ground as bits of the residue electricity sparked off his fur.

Ash saw his chance and wasn't about to let it slip away. "Finish him off with Iron Tail!"

Ash's trusty Electric Mouse Pokémon's tail started to glow a luminous bright white colour as it charged across the field.

"Flamethrower!" Chris called with a grin etched across his face; in his eyes, Ash had fallen into his trap perfectly.

A torrent of flames erupted from the Zorua's small muzzle; by this time Pikachu was too close to Caedus to dodge the attack. The immensely hot flames engulfed the electric type Pokémon's small, but sturdy body.

Pikachu collapsed to the ground in sheer agony while Caedus collapsed onto its soft underbelly in sheer exhaustion. By this stage, both Chris and Ash's Pokémon had suffered major damage from the battle. Both Pokémon tried to get on their feet, but a mixture of pain and fatigue stopped both Pokémon from doing so to claim victory for their respective trainers. Every time one paw would find its footing on the grassy battlefield another one would fail to support the weight of the Pokémon.

"I'm stopping this match to ensure the health and safety of both Pokémon!" Brock declared sternly.

"Aw come on!" Chris cried in protest.

"Yeah! This is just getting interesting!" Ash protested as well by flailing his arms around in the air.

"You two have clearly forgotten that this is a mere practice battle and not the tournament finals. You can't have your Pokemon fight all-out like this or else they'll completely burn out before the tournament even begins," Brock wisely stated. Brock walked onto the battlefield towards the two downed Pokémon, Brock took a Burn Heal out of his backpack and started to rub it on Pikachu's singed body. He observed, "That close-ranged Flamethrower really did a number on Pikachu."

"Yeah, sorry about that Ash," Chris said sheepishly while nervously scratching the back of his head.

"No worries," Ash assures the taller teen. "In battles, I go all out and expect others to do the same."

"As I said, I really appreciate your attitude," Chris commented as his grin grew wider. "You remind me of… well, me. …Minus the freakish height, of course."

"On the other hand, one could tell with a glance that Caedus is still just a young kit. Therefore, a battle this strenuous is obviously not good for its developing body. It simply doesn't have the stamina to continue. Due to this circumstance, this battle was cut short, but under the right circumstances this battle could have continued until nightfall," Brock added, using his experience as a Pokémon Breeder as advice to the two younger trainers.

"I guess I can accept that. Thanks for the good battle Ash," Chris said, extending his hand out for a handshake.

"It was fun while it lasted," Ash chuckled, accepting Chris' offer for a handshake.

"Who buys dinner then?" Josh asked.

"I suppose I will," Chris decided. "I suggest that we check out the city before heading to Stadium One for the Opening Ceremony. After that, we'll head to a nice restaurant. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me!" Dawn cheerily exclaimed.

"I'm in," Josh respired, folding his arms across his chest.

"Me too," Brock concurred.

"I'm glad I don't have to buy dinner. You are a really nice guy Chris," Ash stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, don't mention it. I know I'm awesome," Chris vainly proclaimed with a grin.

The others could do nothing but laugh at the antics of the egotistical teenager.

**A/N:**

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	3. The Opening Ceremony

**A/N: **

**Note, this chapter is shorter than the previous two simply because this was supposed to be part of chapter 2 but was cut due to time constraints.**

**Last year, I tried to encourage my readers to visit the forum I set up on this very site (not to mention the failed "Authoridice" forum), its accessible at the top of my page. It would be an awesome place for you guys to tell me your thoughts and ideas without the need of reviews. If you would be interested in its revival PM me so I can set it up again.**

Chapter III: The Opening Ceremony.

After the battle, the group had headed into Celebration City to look around and familiarise themselves with the place they would call 'home' for the duration of the tournament. After a few hours of exploration, the group then headed to Stadium One for the Opening Ceremony of the Pokémon World League.

"I can't wait for this!" Ash almost yelled in utter excitement, his fists shaking with utter determination.

"_Pika! Pika!" _Ash's Pikachu cried in agreement.

"It shall be interesting to see what they have planned to entertain us." Chris commented while sipping out of his bottle of Diet Coke.

"Seriously dude, I think you're addicted to that stuff" Josh commented picking up on Chris' addiction.

"Oh, heck no, I'm not addicted to Diet Coke. I love the taste and freshness of a nice cold bottle. That's all"

"Ah, I see we are at the denial stage" Josh remarked with the slyest of tones.

"This day shall be your last if you aren't careful" Chris warned with a stern and overtly serious expression on his face.

"Those two sure fight a lot" Dawn lightly chuckled to Brock

"It comes with having siblings. You see, I'm the eldest sibling in my family, I love my other brothers and sisters dearly; it doesn't mean I fight with them though. It's a sign of a good sibling relationship, it doesn't take long to figure out that despite how they act on the surface towards each other, Chris and Josh love each other like two brothers should" Brock explained.

"Oh wow, I've never looked at it like that" Dawn replied. "I don't have any brothers or sisters, so I guess I can't really understand a relationship between two siblings." She then continued as she looked at the two brothers lightly punch each other in the arm. Ash then decided it would be a good idea for him to get involved in the mock-melee, this, quite predictably only succeeded in Chris accidently knocking Ash down with a flailing arm.

"Aw man, not again" Chris muttered. "I'm sorry Ash, I'm a big oaf as you know" he continued helping Ash to his feet.

"It's ok Chris" Ash laughed, I've been knocked off my feet so many times, it doesn't bother me"

"That's good. The last thing I want to do is to hurt you. I want you to be in brilliant health so I can eventually kick your ass in the tournament." Chris grinned.

"At least you aren't eliminating the competition early" Ash responded with a shrug.

The group continued on with their usual antics as they continued on their walk to Stadium One. For all around the island, trainers were travelling to the stadium to participate in the official beginning of the Pokémon World League.

000000

Jason Sorenson, or as he preferred others to simply call him, 'Wolf' was one of the many trainers making his way to Stadium One. Wolf was around 6 foot 3, skinny, while at the same time fairly muscular. He had deep blue eyes which contrasted his chocolate brown hair. Wolf also wore a Philadelphia Eagles jersey, which was a replica of Michael Vick's number 7 jersey. The teenager also wore khaki cargo pants.

Arriving fairly early at the stadium, Wolf immediately headed to the cafe that was housed fairly deeply within the stadium. Ordering a savoury snack and a soft drink, Wolf immediately sunk into the nearest chair and started to lazily flick through a nearby newspaper.

000000

Seishiro Hiwatari, another trainer who was going to participate in the Pokémon World League, was one of many trainers making their way to Stadium One. Seishiro stood a respectable 6 foot 2; his peach coloured skin and slightly muscular build give off the aura of importance. The 22 year old, sported wavy, yet cropped neck length jet black hair with a fringe that stopped just above his eyebrows. The trainer wore a white shirt with a high neck-guard, which lay underneath a dark blue trench coat that was fastened to his body by two belts. On his hands, he wore a pair of leather, fingerless gloves; Seishiro also wore blue coloured pants and a pair of light brown boots. The round glasses he wore over his sapphire coloured eyes, give him an appearance of a man of great intelligence.

"Too bad Seito opted to stay back at White Forest, the sheer magnitude of this city would have deeply intrigued him" Seishiro suddenly thought aloud. The well respected trainer then glanced down to his wrist-watch, suddenly realising the time, he transitioned into a brisker pace, hoping to reach Stadium One ahead of the anticipated mass of trainers that would eventually arrive.

000000

Dusk had started to set in by the time the group had finally reached the same stadium which they had registered the day before. The LCD screens around the arena were illuminated with advertisements from various sponsors of the tournament. Stadium staff was spaced cleverly outside of the arena, each of them willing to take a question from a trainer or simply guide them to where they needed to go. Various vendor stalls were set up in front of the stadium; the stalls were filled with either food or merchandise, trainers lined in queues in an attempt to quickly grab something to eat or to purchase souvenirs for loved ones back home.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Chris grunted in utter astonishment of the sheer grandeur of the scene in front of him

"Sure thing big guy" Josh replied.

"Oh man, I can't wait for this!" Ash claimed clenching his fists in utter excitement.

"Well then, let's get going!" Dawn cheered. The group unanimously agreed and walked through the main doors into the interior of the building, they found themselves in the same area they registered the previous day.

"Welcome! Are you all competing in the tournament?" a staff member asked in a cheery tone.

"Me, Josh, Ash and Dawn are" Chris answered pointing out the other three trainers with his right index finger. "Brock isn't, I presume provisions have been made for guests of participants?"

"Of course, if your friend would make his way upstairs to the spectators seating he will be able to sit and watch the ceremony and group stages draw in its entirety." The staff member said

"Well I guess this is where we part ways" Brock said with a chuckle. "I'll catch up with you guys later" Brock continued, waving his hand in farewell as his went to find a seat in the stands.

"Now if you guys could follow me, I can take you to the entrance were you will make your entrance out to the field at the beginning of the ceremony.

"That sounds good to me! Lead the way!" Ash declared.

000000

"Hello and welcome to the opening ceremony of the Pokémon World League. I'm your one of your hosts, Martin Forsythe" a male voice boomed over the stadium's speakers.

"And I'm Melissa Hawthorne" another voice, but this time feminine announced.

"Tonight we will witness the group stages draw for the tournament and the unveiling of the championship belt which will be awarded to the winner of the PWL who will be declared the first ever, globally recognised World Champion.

A collection of fireworks exploded over the open-top stadium while 'Fight' by Oleander bleared through the stadium's music system. The audience in attendance, who numbered well over 100,000 inside the humongous stadium roared to life with a deafening cheer. The inside of the stadium was huge in its size, the field, which was easily interchangeable was made of Astroturf, presumably to accommodate the mass of trainers who would soon arrive on the field. Suspended over the field was four massive LCD screens each facing in opposite directions, this would allow any spectator in attendance to have a perfect view of the action on the field. A long line of runners, each bearing flags from all over the world burst out of the right hand side entrance of the arena and ran out onto the onto the field, flailing their flags around in the air. A mobile stage was driven out onto the field, on the stage stood Charles Goodshow, the President of the Pokémon League, on the stage stood a massive jumbo-tron, two cloth covered boxes, and of course a podium fitted with a microphone.

"Welcome everyone to the first ever Pokémon World League!" Mr Goodshow cried to the pleasure of the audience who roared with approval. "Give a very warm welcome to the participants of the tournament!

" 'Fight' by Oleander again played throughout the arena as what seemed like over a thousand trainers poured onto the field from both the left and right hand side entrances onto the field. Despite the sheer magnitude of trainers, there was plenty of standing room for the trainers so they could find out from Mr Goodshow the groups that they would be participating in.

"This is phenomenal" Chris gasped in utter amazement as his eyes darted around the stadium, his eyes almost struggling to comprehend the plethora of colours. The group had managed to find a central position within the horde of trainers to watch the ceremony.

"Agreed" Josh replied, his jaw almost hit the floor with the sheer sight of the scene.

"It's almost overwhelming" Ash muttered. Pikachu, who was perched on Ash's right hand shoulder, could only bring itself to nod in agreement.

"It's beautiful!" Dawn cheered throwing her arms up in the air with pure excitement.

"Now that everyone one is here, let's get this show on the road!" Mr Goodshow declared. "Now, it is time for the unveiling of the World Champion belt" he continued, much to the joy of the audience members and the trainers on the field. Mr Goodshow walked over to one of the cloth-covered boxes, pulling of the cloth it was clear what the box contained. Sitting inside of the box, on a red pillow, sat the World Championship belt. The belt itself was a wide black leather strap in the middle of the strap is a large centre piece, which features a design of a crown on top of a globe in the centre. At the top of the piece, a Pokéball and the words "World Champion" was engraved, while a nameplate, yet to be inscribed, was located at the bottom of the piece. In addition, the entire piece was engraved with a unique fleuron pattern that was surrounded by red gemstones. Along the strap, on both ends, were two smaller side pieces which follows the same fleuron design pattern as seen in the centre piece. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the World Championship" Mr Goodshow declared with a roar of approval from the crowd.

"That's flipping beautiful looking" Josh remarked almost salivating at the mouth at the sheer sight of the prize.

"That's mine" Chris simply declared pointing his right hand at the belt.

"I'll be sure to contest that!" Ash claimed proudly, while his Pikachu puffed out his own chest to mimic his trainer's confidence.

"Did that impress you? That's not the only thing we are showing off today." Mr. Goodshow said with a flash in his eye. The old, but energetic President of the Pokémon League then walked over to the other and larger cloth covered box; he then pulled the cloth of the box. Inside of this box sat two bronze championship belts. On the main centrepiece an engraving of two large, silver coated Greek Spartan helmets were located both facing away from each other. The words, "World Tag Team Champion" were inscribed at the bottom of the belt. On the two bronze side plates, were engraved a Pokéball. While the two belts weren't as impressive looking as the World Championship, they were still impressive in their appearance, and something which would be sought by nearly all of the trainers on the field.

"Imagine, me being the World Champion _and _one half of the World Tag Team Champions. I'll be richer than Bill freaking Gates!" Chris exclaimed in sheer excitement, garnering awkward looks from trainers standing in close proximity to the tall teenager.

"Who are you going to team with?" Dawn asked

"_Why you of course" _Chris inwardly thought was a maddening and obvious blush. "Uh... probably Josh, but if Ash, you or Brock want to team with me, I'll gladly be your partner"

"Gee thanks." Josh snorted, "Here's me thinking we would bring all the gold back to the Moore family"

"Keep going the way you are going and I'll be the only Moore family son" Chris warned. "But I suppose you are right, family honour could play a part in who I choose" Chris shrugged.

"Well I for one would love to team up with you Chris! We'd be unstoppable!" Ash declared with a fist pump.

"That would be interesting" Chris mused rubbing his chin.

"Now, the draw for the group stage, all 1024 trainers who completed the registration for the Pokemon World League will be drawn into groups. First however, here is the layout of the tournament and a few of the main rules" Mr Goodshow said, he activated the jumbo-screen behind him which then immediately lurched to life and started to display the aforementioned information.

_Layout:_

_Group Stage: 4 people in a group, 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a win, top two trainers advance. Battles will be 3v3._

_1__st__ Knockout Stage: Draw is completely random, best 512, battles 6v6_

_2__nd__ Knockout Stage: Draw is completely random best 256. Battles 6v6_

_3rd Knockout Stage: Draw is completely random, best 128. Battles 6v6_

_4th Knockout stage: Draw is completely random, best 64. Battles 6v6_

_4__th__ Knockout Stage: Draw is completely random, best 32. Battles 6v6_

_6th__ Knockout stage: Draw is random Best 16, , battles 6v6_

_Quarter Final: Best 8, draw is random, battles 6v6_

_Semi Final: best 4, Draw is random, 6v6 battles_

_Final: Finalists battle 6v6_

_Note: For all battles in both the group and knockout stages, the substitution of Pokémon in battles is legal._

"Wow, that's a lot of people who need their ass handed to them by yours truly" Chris said flashing a massive grin.

"Yeah, only for me to kick your ass in the final" Josh coughed.

"Hey be quiet! I'm trying to read the screen!" Dawn groaned. Not wanting to annoy Dawn any further, the two Moore brothers instantly shut their mouths.

_Rules for Tournament:_

_Respect your opponent._

_The referee is the definitive authority on the field, failure to obey the instructions of the referee can result in disqualification from the battle which will count as a loss._

_Cheating is strictly prohibited; drug tests for Pokémon will be scheduled randomly, if performance enhancing drugs are found to be in the bloodstream of a participant's Pokémon, they shall be immediately disqualified from the tournament._

_Violence against any tournament staff is prohibited, any violence directed towards staff shall be reported to appropriate authorities _

_Any intimidation towards other trainers is strictly prohibited and can result in expulsion from the tournament._

"Now, of course, I fully expect that each trainer on the field will be mature enough to not partake in any illegal activities" Mr Goodshow said with a chuckle."Anyway" Mr Goodshow continued in quite a grand tone. "Now we begin the group stages draw, this computer, I have here at the podium shall randomly assort the participants into groups, this shall continue until all 1024 trainers have been assigned groups" the old, yet energetic man continued to a deafening response from the trainers and audience members. "Judging by the positive response, let's begin!" Mr Goodshow exclaimed, suddenly, the jumbo screen then displayed the first group table.

_Group I:_

_Ash Ketchum _

_Philip Levin_

_Flint_

_Morrison_

"Aw man, Flint?" Ash complained "He's in the Elite Four! Though I suppose it's good that Morrison is in my group, after all, I beat him in the Hoenn League"

"To be fair Ash, the group isn't that bad, you'll do fine" Chris re-assured his friend.

"Before we continue, I would like to announce the first match-up of the PWL" Mr Goodshow said, "It shall be Ash Ketchum vs. Morrison, I wish both trainers luck for their battle and congratulate them for participating in the opening match of the tournament"

"Whoa Ash, that's quite the honour" Dawn remarked

"Aw man" Ash remarked nervously as his whole body racked and shivered.

_Group III:_

_Joshua Moore _

_Nando_

_Dawn Berlitz _

_Tyson _

Josh could only look very nervously towards Dawn, the thought of actually having to bring harm to her Pokémon almost sickened him.

"I swear dude, harm her or her Pokémon and I'll kill you" Chris ominously warned with a whisper into Josh's ear.

"Do you actually think that I want to battle her?" Josh roared in pure raw emotion. This of course got Dawn's attention.

"I hope we have a good battle Josh. You better not hold back, if I win, I want it to be on a own merits" Dawn said seriously holding out her hand in offer of an handshake. Blushing profusely, Josh gingerly accepted Dawn's handshake.

"I, uh... Hope we'll still be friends regardless of what... uh... happens" Josh stammered

"Of course!" Dawn exclaimed in her usual cheery tone.

_Group X:_

_Christopher Moore _

_Volkner _

_Corey Spina _

_Byron _

"Piece of cake" Chris yawned resting his hands behind his head "I absolutely destroyed Byron and Volkner during my Sinnoh journey and I've never heard of Corey Spina. I'll finish top of the table without batting an eyelid"

"Oh wow, I can literally see your massive ego of yours _shining _out of your ass" Josh remarked with a groan. "Your ego shall be your downfall my brother"

"The massive Sinnoh League Trophy and Sinnoh Battle Frontier Medals sitting on the mantelpiece at home say that I'm awesome. Last time I checked, you've won nothing"

"Hey Chris, I didn't know you won the Sinnoh League" Ash remarked

"Yeah, I won it two years ago. Beat Josh in the Quarter Final and then proceeded onto the Final where I beat my other travelling buddy, Renn. I challenged the Elite Four; I got destroyed by Lucian though. After that, I went to the Sinnoh Battle Frontier and destroyed all in my path. That's why they call me the 'Conqueror of Sinnoh' " Chris said with a huge, self congratulatory grin.

"That was the year before our travels around Sinnoh" Dawn replied. "I knew I had seen your face somewhere. I was rooting for you in the final."

"Gee Dawn... thanks" Chris managed to stammer, his face almost exploding in a blush.

Now that Ash, Dawn, Josh and Chris had already been assigned groups, they lazily watched the rest of the draw, drifting in and out of their level of interest in the draw. The few groups the four trainers managed to note down were;

_Group XX:_

_Paul Reed _

_Gary Oak _

_Blaine _

_LT Surge _

_Group XXII:_

_Renn Silver _

_Jason Sorenson _

_Clay _

_Electra _

_Group XXV:_

_Seishiro Hiwatari_

_Lance _

_Ianto Kyuski_

_AJ_

_Group XXVI:_

_Barry_

_Koga_

_Burgh_

_Ritchie_

Finally having enough of tirelessly watching the jumbo screen, the four trainers decided to simply talk to each other, mainly discussing battle strategies on how they would approach their group stage battles. At this same time, Brock had left his seat to go to the toilet in between the draw for the groups. Therefore, as fate would have it, none of the five friends had their attention directed towards the jumbo screen for the draw, a blunder that could have potential ramifications for the future.

_Group XXVII:_

_Cynthia _

_Tobias _

_Karen _

_Nathan Moore_

The group stages draw droned on for what seemed like hours until all 1024 participants had been assigned groups. The opening ceremony ended with a fireworks ceremony and a speech from Goodshow thanking the participants for their future participation in the tournament.

00000

After the Opening Ceremony had ended Josh, Chris, Ash and Dawn met up with Brock at the main lobby of the stadium. Of course, this was no easy task given the sheer volume of people in a rush to leave the stadium.

"So are you guys happy with the groups you were placed in?" Brock asked as the group left the stadium.

"Kinda, I got drawn into a group with a guy called Philip Levin, who I have never heard of. Remember Morrison? He's in my group" Ash said quite excitedly."However, Flint from the Elite Four is in my group, that's quite bad, he'll crush me"

"Don't be so sure Ash. Flint uses fire types almost exclusively, just use water and ground type Pokémon and you should be able to give him a run for his money" Brock reassured his friend.

"Thanks Brock, I'll do a bit of research and try to formulate a good strategy to beat Flint" Ash replied with a confident smile. "Pikachu will be my star player"

"_Pika!" _Pikachu cried out proudly from his trainer's shoulder.

"That's the right attitude Ash; you'll do great in this tournament" Brock replied with his own smile. "So Josh and Dawn, I'm sure finding out that competing against each other in the group stage must be a downer."

"Tell me about it" Josh said muttered dejectedly. "I really want to win, but I don't want it to happen at the expense of any of you guys ... well except Chris, I want to kick his ass"

"Careful" Chris said sternly as a warning to his younger brother.

"Josh and I have already agreed to give our all in our eventual battle. A former Hoenn Champion may be on our group, but we can take him" Dawn stated with a smile.

"Having won the Sinnoh League, I'm sure you are glad Volkner and Byron are in your group." Brock asked Chris.

"Yeah I am, could've been much worse based on the other groups that were drawn" Chris replied "I hope I finish top" Chris chuckled resting his hands around the back of his head.

"Where to now?" Ash asked with a shrug.

"Well I said I'd pay for dinner, there's a Hungry Snorlax Buffet not far from here. I'm starved, I'm going to pig out. I'm giving you all the chance to disassociate yourself from me now if you wish not to be embarrassed" Chris laughed.

"Hear, hear!" Ash replied with a satisfied shout.

"Oh please let there be a massive plate of Macaroni and Cheese" Josh pleaded out loud to no one in particular.

"I'm good for that" Dawn said a smile while Brock nodded in agreement.

"Excellent!" Chris said grandly. "An army needs food to operate!"

000000

On the exact opposite side of the stadium from the group of five friends, a sinister figure wearing a long black trench coat walked down a dark and seemingly endless alleyway. Deeming that he was alone, he took out a cell phone from an inside pocket of his coat. Promptly switching it on, he quickly punched in a number and briefly waited for someone on the other end of the line to pick up.

"_Yes?"_

"Its done sir, I'm in the tournament" the figure said simply.

"_Excellent, return to the safe house" _

"At once sir" the figure replied. He immediately disconnected the call and began walking to his next destination. "Soon, the whole damn world will be set on fire" the figure muttered to himself.

**A/N:**

**... And another one bites the dust! **

**If your OC wasn't included in the main groups that I included don't worry, every OC submitted **_**will **_**appear.**

**Also, I'm 100% certain that most of you are questioning my use of championship 'belts' as opposed to trophies. Well, in my opinion, Pokémon battling is the fictional world equivalent of boxing, UFC and yes even Professional Wrestling, they use championship belts in those forms of entertainment, so I decided to incorporate it into my fic, because I'm original and stuff like that xD Also the belts are reminiscent of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Tag Team Championship, because as you probably already know, I'm the biggest wrestling geek **_**ever**_**.**

**Wait what? Who is Nathan **_**Moore**_**? Want to find out? Keep reading then you lazy bum! :P **

**Please read and review, if you do so, people will be attracted to you, plus it's free! **


	4. The Opening Match

**A/N: Straight to business in this chapter, a three-on-three battle. I'm going to restrict filler in this fic.**

**I updated my OC slightly; check the form on my profile.**

**Remember, this fic is set directly after the Sinnoh League, so by anime standards Ash is an experienced trainer.**

**Also, a small change to Josh and Dawn's group, Macy is replaced by Nando.**

**Sorry for the long wait, illness and LAWS (Lazy Ass Writer's Syndrome) confounded my efforts to write this.**

**Its official, I'm now a Professional Wrestling Trainee...**

**WWE, here I come! XD**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: My beta reader, Tendou Souji, only had the time to half edit this chapter due to the fact that he has left on vacation. I decided to put the chapter up regardless.**

Chapter 4: The Opening Match

"_Greetings! Welcome to the opening match of the Pokémon World League which is coming to you live from Stadium 5! My name is Mitchell Coleson, the 'voice of the PWL', and I'll be calling the match today alongside my esteemed colleague, former Unova and Kanto League winner Gerry McLawson!" _the male commentator and one half of the broadcast team announced. His voice could be heard by both the television audience and the people sitting in the stands.

Ash and Morrison were already out on the field. The two trainers had entered the field to no fanfare; it was simply a match between friendly foes, ready to give it their all for glory. Stadium 5 was a modestly-sized arena which could hold around 40,000 spectators. The field was a simple AstroTurf pitch because the field setting for the battle had not been determined yet. A jumbo screen was mounted from the rafters on the left side of the arena, a picture of both Ash and Morrison were shown, as were three silhouetted boxes underneath both of the trainers' photographs to keep track of their Pokémon.

"This match is a three-on-three battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Morrison from Verdanturf Town!" the referee declared. On his signal, the jumbo screen scrolled through different field settings until it settled on a picture of a rocky battlefield. The male referee continued, "As determined by the computer, this battle will take place on a rocky battlefield." On cue, the default AstroTurf field was lowered below the stadium and was soon replaced by a rock-filled battlefield. "You may now begin!"

"Well Ash, you've beaten me before but I've gotten stronger since the last time we met," Morrison said in his usual nasally voice.

"I wouldn't expect anything else!" Ash called back. His trusty Pikachu stood by his side and had the look of sheer determination on its face.

"I'm not making the same mistakes as last time!" Morrison shouted. "Arcanine! Let's go!" He threw a dual-coloured sphere - also known as a Poké Ball - up into the air. It burst open and in a blinding flash of white, a Pokémon resembling the mythical Ryukyuan Shisa appeared on the field and struck a defiant battle stance.

"Ah, I see that your Growlithe has evolved," Ash observed while Morrison grinned confidently. "Buizel, I choose you!" Much like Morrison's Legendary Pokémon, Ash's Water-type Pokémon, Buizel, appeared in a brilliant flash of white. Buizel struck its usual confident battle pose by crossing his arms across his chest, a stern look etched across the Sea Weasel Pokémon's face.

"I guess I'll go first! Arcanine, use Takedown!" Morrison ordered.

The Fire-type Pokémon obeyed its master's command by charging head first across the rocky and uneven battlefield towards Buizel

"Wait for it Buizel," Ash muttered "Draw him in."

Buizel, trusting his trainer completely, stood its ground as it waited for Arcanine to come closer. Arcanine continued on its charge towards the small Water-type Pokémon.

"Ok Buizel, dodge towards that boulder," Ash simply ordered, pointing to a mid-sized boulder in the battlefield.

The Sea Weasel Pokemon dived out of the path of the oncoming canine-like Pokémon as per Ash's instructions. Arcanine, having realized this, planted its feet on the ground and skidded to a halt. The Legendary Pokemon then turned around to face its adversary.

"Use Takedown again!" Morrison commanded in a confidence-laced tone. His Arcanine promptly charged full speed towards Buizel who still had its back to the boulder.

"Jump over him and use Water Gun!" Ash ordered with a grin across his face, mentally cheering as Morrison had fallen into his trap. His Buizel used its impressive vertical leaping ability to hurdle over the charging Arcanine who crashed headfirst into the boulder. Obviously, the Arcanine was hurt by its miscalculation, yelping in pain as it shook its head in an effort to get rid of the effects of bashing its head into a dense object. What only made matters worse for the Arcanine was the fact that Buizel had landed on its feet behind the Fire-type Pokémon and fired a jet of highly-pressurised water directly at the back of the large canine Pokémon. Due to the force of the attack, the Arcanine was sent crashing into the boulder, which of course broke the boulder up into literally a million fragments due to the added weight of Fire-type Pokémon and the highly-pressurised jet of water. The Legendary Pokémon stumbled down onto the ground, completely motionless.

"_This could be it for Morrison's Arcanine!" _Gerry exclaimed.

"_This could be over after only one attack! Ash completely outplayed and outsmarted Morrison!" _Mitchell added.

"Arcanine!" Morrison called out in desperation. His Arcanine started to twitch before it slowly but surely rose to its four paws, giving out a roar of defiance that resounded throughout the arena. "Alright Arcanine, use Flamethrower!"

A stream of hot flames erupted out of the mouth of the Legendary Pokémon and scored a hit on Buizel. The flames licked around the small body of the Sea Weasel Pokémon and singed the fur on the Water-type Pokémon.

"Fight back with SonicBoom!" Ash shouted.

Regaining its composure, Buizel leapt up into the air and channelled its energy down to its two tails, causing them to be encompassed in a bright white glow. It then flicked them with great force, sending a large white shockwave towards Morrison's Pokémon.

"Watch out!" Morrison called out in desperation.

It was all for naught, though, as the SonicBoom proved to be too fast for the Fire-type Pokémon to avoid. The visible wave of kinetic energy struck the Arcanine squarely in the face, eliciting a howl of pain from the Legendary Pokémon.

"_Oh, this can't be good for Morrison and his Pokémon. Ash surely has this battle won already," _Mitchell stated confidently. _"Good riddance I say, this Morrison is a goof-ball."_

"_Remember Mitchell, underestimating your opponent is the biggest mistake a trainer can make in a battle," _Gerry replied.

"Come on Arcanine, fight back with a Thunder Fang!" Morrison commanded, a tinge of desperation emerging from his voice.

The large fangs inside the mouth of the Arcanine started to cackle violently, streaks of electricity flickering out of the canine's muzzle. Morrison's Arcanine then thundered across the field towards its foe, baring its teeth and readying itself to bite its opponent.

"Stop him with Water Pulse!" Ash countered.

Ash's Buizel quickly formed a small orb of water between its two paws and launched it directly towards the incoming Pokémon. The orb of water hit Morrison's Arcanine squarely in the head. The effect of the super-effective attack was instantaneous as the canine-like Pokémon collapsed to the ground in pain.

"_This is a dire situation for Morrison and his Pokémon!" _Gerry exclaimed. _"This Ketchum kid sure knows his stuff!"_

"Let's finish this with an Ice Punch!" Ash ordered zealously.

The Sea Weasel Pokémon concentrated some of its power into his right paw. It started to gradually freeze over until it became frozen solid. Ash's Buizel then charged across the rocky terrain towards the downed Arcanine.

"ExtremeSpeed!" Morrison bellowed.

Arcanine instantly opened its eyes and leapt up to its feet, expelling a defiant roar as it initiated the attack. It started to glow a bright blue colour as it sprinted across the field towards Ash's Buizel and the Fire-type Pokémon crashed headfirst into the abdomen of Ash's Buizel, sending it hurtling into the air.

"Hit him with Thunder Fang!"

Again, Arcanine's mouth started to cackle with electricity. It was obvious to the spectators that the Legendary Pokémon was intent on severely injuring Ash's Buizel. Morrison's majestic yet powerful Pokémon used its immensely powerful legs to leap up into the air towards Ash's Buizel which was rapidly free-falling back to earth.

"Buizel!" Ash cried out in desperation, but unfortunately for the Pallet Town native, Morrison's Arcanine sunk its electrically-charged teeth into the soft belly of the small Sea Weasel Pokémon who crashed down to earth in utter pain due to the electricity convulsing around its body. Arcanine returned to its half of the field, a proud smirk etched across its majestic face.

"Finish him with another Thunder Fang!" Morrison bellowed.

The Fire-type Pokémon charged once again, eager to injure the Sea Weasel Pokémon even more with the super-effective move.

"Buizel!" Ash yelled; he and his loyal Pikachu looked on helplessly as Morrison's Arcanine charged towards the combatant on Ash's side.

Suddenly, when all hope seemed lost Buizel quickly kip-upped to its feet and rolled behind a boulder that was situated close to it. Arcanine failed in its attempt to slow down and to adjust its trajectory and crashed into a boulder, momentarily stunned.

"This is our chance Buizel!" Ash cried out with joy. "Use Water Pulse!"

Buizel hastily formed an orb of water between its two paws and quickly fired it towards the dazed Arcanine. Luckily for Ash and his Pokemon, the Water-type attack found its mark and hit the Arcanine precisely on the side of its face, the force of the attack rendering it unconscious.

"Arcanine!" Morrison cried in despair as he watched his Pokémon slump to the ground.

"Arcanine is unable to battle!"the referee boomed, raising his green flag in the air. "Trainer Morrison, send out your next Pokémon."

"_In this battle, Ash dominated the early parts. Despite Morrison making a spirited comeback, a costly mistake at the end there left the door open for Ash to take advantage and defeat Morrison's Arcanine," _Mitchell quickly recapped.

"_If Ash keeps this up, he'll be taking home all three points!" _Gerry chipped in.

* * *

><p>"That was a good use of the surrounding battlefield, Ash did extremely well there. He's a very capable battler," Chris loudly noted, quickly scribbling a few notes of the battle in his trusty, black notebook. The tall teenager then took a massive gulp of his beloved Diet Coke.<p>

"You really need to stop drinking that so much," Josh advised.

"My consumption of Diet Coke is perfectly regulated. I am not addicted in any way," Chris retorted in his usual deep and rather hoarse voice.

"Ah, denial," Josh chuckled.

In response to that little comment, Chris reached his massive paw-like hand over to strangle his younger brother. He briefly managed to grab Josh but the latter managed to break free from his elder brother's grip.

"Ash sure has improved leaps and bounds over the years," Brock mused. "He made it to the semi-finals of the Sinnoh League, I think he'll do well in this tournament."

"I say he can win the whole thing if he puts his mind to it!" Dawn beamed while her Piplup chirped happily in agreement.

"I can't wait to battle Ash," Chris said, a confident tone detectable in his voice. "It'll be a battle of epic proportions."

"Hey, it won't be if I knock you out of the tournament beforehand," Josh boldly quipped.

* * *

><p>"Metang! Let's go!" Morrison yelled as he threw a Poké Ball up into the air which in turn released the Iron Claw Pokémon. No battle cry resounded throughout the stadium as the dual-type SteelPsychic Pokémon took its position over the battlefield. The computer-like Pokémon merely scanned its opponent, assessing for any weaknesses it could exploit.

"Begin!"the referee declared.

"No fear Buizel! Aqua Jet!" Ash ordered.

The Sea Weasel Pokémon promptly engulfed itself in a towering cascade of water before hurtling through the air towards its opponent.

"Protect," Morrison confidently riposted, the teenager folding his arms across his chest and looking on with a raised eyebrow.

Metang used its impressive psychic powers to erect a barrier of psychic energy; upon contact, Ash's Buizel bounced violently off the surface of the protective bubble.

"Take advantage and use Bullet Punch," Morrison once again ordered in a calm manner.

The tips of the two arm-like extensions of the Metang glistened brightly as Morrison's Pokémon sped across the field and repeatedly jabbed Ash's Buizel in the chest, sending it crashing down onto the ground.

"_Not a good start for Buizel!" _Mitchell exclaimed in a nasally voice.

"Let's end this quickly with a Take Down!" Morrison commanded in an almost excited tone.

Droning in its robotic voice, the Iron Claw Pokémon once again flew across the field towards its grounded foe.

"Counter Shield!" Ash shouted in desperation.

Without warning, Buizel sprung to life and spun around rapidly on its back while at the same firing water out of its muzzle. This unique manoeuvre had the effect of creating a swirling barrier of water which Metang was trapped in, causing damage every time the Iron Claw Pokémon attempted to move.

"_Whoa!" _Gerry exclaimed in awe _"What a counter! There is something special about this kid."_

"Hit him with a Water Pulse!" Ash called in quick succession.

His Buizel responded to the Kanto native's command by shooting an orb of pressurised water from its hands directly towards the trapped Metang. The move hit Morrison's Metang directly between its cold, mechanical eyes.

"Metang!" Morrison cried out, looking on helplessly as his Metang crashed to the floor in utter agony.

"Buizel, let's finish this round off with an Ice Punch!" Ash ordered.

Ice formed around the right fist of the Sea Weasel Pokemon as it charged across the field to strike the final blow.

"Use Flash!" Morrison yelled in utter desperation.

The Iron Claw Pokémon managed to emit a blinding flash of white due to its impressive psychic power. Unfortunately for Ash's Buizel, it was caught immediately in the light radius and was temporarily robbed of its sight. This of course allowed Metang to recover and its trainer to tactically work out his next move.

"Use Bullet Punch!"

Metang's two arm-like extensions once again started to glow vividly white in colour; it once again proceeded to repeatedly and rapidly punch Ash's Buizel directly in the chest. Buizel at first stumbled back in pure agony, gagging and gasping for air like an unfortunate soul caught in the middle of a chemical gas attack. Suddenly, the Sea Weasel Pokémon buckled over and vomited a sizeable portion of blood onto the rocky battlefield.

The crowd, which had filled the stadium with rapturous noise only seconds prior, had now been stunned into silence. Morrison, realising what he had done sunk his head into the palms of his hands.

"Buizel!" Ash bellowed, the only noise in the stadium.

"_Pika pika!" _Ash's Pikachu cried, obviously worried for its teammate.

* * *

><p><em>"Ugh, I mustn't let my master down," <em>Buizel inwardly chided itself. The proud Pokémon could only grit its teeth to try and stop the agonising pain coming from its torso._ "I won't give up failure is not an option." _The Sea Weasel Pokémon slowly rose to assume its proper posture.

_"It's clobberin' time."_

* * *

><p>The crowd suddenly erupted into a tumultuous cheer for the perseverance of Ash's Buizel. Buizel, slowly, but surely, rose to a vertical basis.<p>

"Are you sure you can continue?" Ash asked his Pokémon.

Buizel merely turned to its trainer and strongly nodded. Noticing the pool of its own blood, Buizel dabbed its paw in the red liquid and, without any emotion showing from its face, smeared some of the blood across its face.

"_Whoa, this is one determined Pokémon!" _Mitchell exclaimed in shock.

"_I've never seen so much willingness to fight through pain. This young trainer must have an exceptional bond with his Pokémon!" _Gerry added in agreement.

"Alright! Buziel use Aqua Jet!" Ash commanded. Buizel once again engulfed its self in a towering cascade of water before hurtling through the air towards its foe. However Morrison had yet to raise his head from his hands after the injury he had inadvertently inflicted on Ash's Buizel. This of course meant that Morrison had issued no order to his Metang, who took the full force of Buizel's potent Aqua Jet attack. "Keep it up with Ice Punch!" Ash bellowed, not realising the lack of opposition from his opponent. Buizel's right fist quickly became coated in ice; Ash's Sea Weasel Pokémon charged across the field and slammed its fist directly into the metallic face of Metang, leaving a sizeable dent. Morrison's Metang crashed to the rocky and uneven battlefield as a result of the sheer force of the punch.

"_What's this? It seems Morrison is not giving orders to his Pokémon!" _Mitchell exclaimed _"I have to ask why?"_

"Buizel use Water Pulse!" Ash bellowed, still oblivious to the fact that Morrison was not ordering his Pokemon to provide any opposition. A deep blue orb of water formed between the paws of Buizel who promptly fired it towards Morrison's Metang. Once again Buizel's potent attack struck its foe directly in its "face", inflicting even more damage on the helpless Pokémon. "Wait a minute..." Ash muttered only now noticing Morrison's inactivity. "Morrison what's wrong?"

"I can't do this Ash" Morrison muttered into his hands "I injured your Buizel"

"Injured?" Ash questioned "Buizel is one tough Pokémon; coughing up some blood won't stop him."

"I just can't do it Ash" Morrison again muttered.

"Last time we battled it was marred by this sort of attitude" Ash said almost impatiently. "You promised me a proper re-match"

"I can't do that Ash"

"Then I'll forfeit the match" Ash stated

"I can't let you do that Ash, you deserve to win this match"

"_It seems like Morrison is having a crisis of confidence on the field" _Gerry simply noted.

"_It's a shame the opening match is being marred by this nerd" _Mitchell sighed.

"I'm serious Morrison" Ash warned, attempting to reason with his friend.

"If you two don't get a move on, I'll disqualify you both" the referee interrupted, obviously tired of the two trainer's shenanigans.

"Metang use Bullet Punch" Morrison ordered half-heartedly.

"Counter with Water Pulse" Ash responded through gritted teeth. He wanted a battle, not a lop-sided skirmish. Ash's Buizel dodged the incoming round of punches with startling ease. Buizel then quickly formed yet another orb of water between its paws and promptly fired at the weakened Metang. The Water Pulse attack struck Metang directly between its eyes, sending it crashing to the ground.

"Buizel lets finish this off with Ice Punch" Ash ordered. Buizel's right fist became coated with ice as the Sea Weasel charged across the field.

_I just can't let this happen to Metang _Morrison inwardly thought, an internal conflict burning deep within him. "Metang use Protect!" Morrison suddenly bellowed. Metang hastily obeyed its trainer's command by quickly forming a protective barrier around its immediate vicinity with its potent psychic energy. Buizel's attack bounced harmlessly off the protective bubble, Ash's Pokémon was jolted back through the air to the ground due to the reversal of the match's momentum.

"Metang use Bullet Punch!" Morrison ordered "But aim carefully this time!" he then quickly warned. The dual Steel-Psychic flew through the air with its telekinetic powers and quickly jabbed its two arm-like extensions into the abdomen of Ash's Buizel who stumbled back in pain, its footing relatively unstable.

"Follow up with a Take Down!" Morrison called. His Metang followed up on its newfound attacking momentum by tackling Buizel to the ground through utilising its body weight. Metang returned to its own side of the field, while Buizel slowly rose to its feet. It was clear that both Pokémon were nearing their physical limits.

"Metang, let's finish this off with a Hyper Beam!" Morrison called, wanting to finish Buizel off to tie the score in the battle.

"Buizel counter with Water Pulse!" Ash quickly countered.

Fortunately for Ash, Buizel was quicker to the draw. Ash's water type powerhouse quickly fired an orb of pressurised water directly towards Morrison's slower Metang. The Water Pulse attack found its mark and hit Metang head on, knocking it directly to the ground. This time, Metang would not recover from the attack and promptly fainted.

"Metang is unable to battle! Buizel is the winner!" the referee declared with a proud raise of his flags.

Adrenaline suddenly wearing out, Ash's Buizel collapsed to its knees and then onto its back. Despite never being defeated, Buizel was taken out of the battle due to complete exhaustion.

"Buizel is unable to battle" the referee continued "Trainers send out your next Pokémon".

"Well done Buizel" Ash congratulated his Pokémon as he returned him to his Pokéball "You were awesome out there".

* * *

><p>"That's gotta be frustrating" Josh mused "If my opponent suddenly stopped battling, I'd be immensely frustrated."<p>

"In their previous battle, Morrison froze up in the heat of the battle during a Hoenn League match against Ash. He felt that he couldn't battle his friend." Brock replied rubbing his chin

"Ash has a 2-1 lead now." Chris observed, sarcastically pointing out the obvious "Ash surely has this match won by now".

"I told you, Ash is the best" Dawn chirped happily. In response to this Chris immediately went back to writing in his notebook, his soul almost crushed by Dawn's assertion.

* * *

><p>"Swampert! Let's go!" Morrison cried, sending out his last Pokémon. A large, blue, mudfish Pokémon appeared on the field in a flash of white upon being released from its Pokéball.<p>

"Hmm let's see" Ash mused running his hands along his Pokéball belt "Pikachu wouldn't be a great idea as Swampert is a part ground type" Ash mused as he looked at his trusty Pokémon which stood at his side. Upon making a selection he unclipped a Pokéball and hurtled it up into the air. "Staraptor, I choose you!" Ash's Predator Pokémon burst forth into the field in a brilliant flash of white from its Pokéball.

"Begin" the referee coughed

"Staraptor use Aerial Ace!" Ash quickly ordered. Staraptor sped through the air like a bullet towards its foe, white entails appeared behind the airborne Pokémon due to its vastly impressive speed.

"Ice Beam!" Morrison quickly countered, a freezing beam of ice was fired out of the Pokémon's muzzle directly towards its airborne foe.

"Evade!" Ash cried in desperation, realising that one hit from Swampert's Ice Beam attack would knock out his Staraptor in one hit. Staraptor used its impressive agility to avoid the incoming beam of ice and then promptly crashed head on into the ribs of Morrison's Swampert who heavily spluttered from the sheer impact of Staraptor's attack.

"Follow up with another Aerial Ace!" Ash called hoping to keep up his momentum. Once again, his Predator Pokémon flew at beyond mach force speed at its foe which was helpless in its attempt to defend itself. Once again, Ash's Staraptor struck Swampert in its already weakened chest.

"Staraptor, let's finish this off with Close Combat!" Ash yelled. Staraptor flew into Morrison's Pokémon with its wings and feet flailing violently.

"Mega Punch!" Morrison bellowed desperately. Swampert, who did its best to absorb the damage it was taking from Staraptor's assault, with one massive and deadly accurate punch to the side of the face, Swampert swatted its assailant to the ground.

"_Oh! That has got to hurt!" _Gerry cried watching Staraptor struggle to make it back into the air as a result of the massive damage it took from Swampert's Mega Punch.

"Follow up with Hydro Pump" Morrison calmly ordered, sensing the opportunity to seize the initiative. A massive, highly pressurised torrent of water fired out of Swampert's muzzle directly towards its groggy foe, who was still dazzled by the affects of the previous Mega Punch attack. The powerful torrent of water smashed directly into the hapless Staraptor, sending it crashing into the ground.

"_Those two consecutives attacks have completely decimated Staraptor. The momentum of this battle has significantly changed." _Mitchell chipped in, stating his opinion. Once again Staraptor struggled to regain a vertical basis and remain airborne.

"Staraptor, can you continue?" Ash asked, letting the decision be taken by his Pokémon.

" '_Raptor!" _the Predator Pokémon replied a chirp. The flying type Pokémon quickly regained its composure and readied itself for more combat.

"Ok Staraptor, use Brave Bird!" Ash confidently commanded. Ash's Staraptor responded to the order by forming a torpedo-like shape with its body and recklessly sped towards its foe at such a vast speed that one mistake could have catastrophic consequences for both Pokémon.

"Ice Beam!" Morrison yelled in desperation, his Swampert hastily complied with its trainer's order by firing off a frigid beam of ice directly head-on at the incoming Staraptor.

"Evade!" Ash bellowed. Unfortunately for the Pallet Town native and his Staraptor, the beam of ice struck the incoming Predator Pokémon head-on, completely encasing Ash's Pokémon in ice.

"_Staraptor is unable to battle, Swampert is the winner!" _the referee declared, deeming that Ash's Pokémon was no longer able to continue on in the battle, Staraptor's picture on the Titantron faded into a silhouette, leaving Ash with one remaining Pokémon to use in the battle. _"Trainer, please select your final Pokémon."_

"Thank you buddy, you did as best as you could, I couldn't ask for anything more" Ash stated as he returned his defeated Pokémon back into its Pokéball.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, talk about a change of fortune" Josh said.<p>

"Ash was foolish to allow Staraptor to continue on in the battle, even though it had already suffered major damage from that Mega Punch. Furthermore, using Brave Bird was a bad idea, even it Staraptor had been able to damage Swampert, it may have been knocked out by its own recoil damage" Chris noted audibly before writing what he had just stated down in his black notebook. "Staraptor was finished after taking that Mega Punch, its speed notably suffered due to the damage it sustained. In conclusion, Ash performed in the correct manner, that Mega Punch royally screwed him over."

"I agree wholeheartedly, while that call to use Brave Bird was foolish, Ash was in control" Brock responded in agreement. "He still has another Pokémon to use; Ash is still likely to win this battle"

"I have full faith in Ash" Dawn countered "He _will _win this."

* * *

><p>"<em>It's obvious that speed is not a good idea in this battle" <em>Ash inwardly mused_ "So that rules out Pikachu and Gible. That leaves Infernape and Torterra. Torterra is the ideal choice, however, Morrison probably isn't expecting a fire type, so Infernape is my best choice for the surprise factor. Also, it would be better to stick to ranged attacks, that Mega Punch could knock anything out"_

"_I wonder how Ash will counter Morrison's Swampert?" _Mitchell rhetorically asked

"_A grass type is definitely the best option." _Gerry obliviously responded.

"Infernape! I choose you!" Ash yelled as he threw a Pokeball up into the air which released his primate Flame Pokémon. The fire type Pokémon confidently slapped its chest in an attempt to intimidate its foe.

"A fire/fighting type?" Morrison spluttered "Have you lost the plot Ash? Infernape has a double weakness to Ground and Water attacks!"

"I'm fully aware of that. My trust lies in the spirit of my Pokémon, I have full confidence in Infernape, he's one of my strongest Pokémon." Ash responded. "Infernape start this off with a Flamethrower!" Infernape responded to his trainer's orders by firing a stream of lava-like flames towards its foe, upon contact with Swampert's skin, the flames licked around the massive bulk of the Pokemon's torso, singeing its skin. In response to this torturous attack, Morrison's Swampert could only howl in pain.

"Respond with Water Gun!" Morrison yelled in a hasty counter to Ash's attack. In short order, a highly pressurised jet of water erupted out of Swampert's mouth, the jet of water travelled ferociously across the field and impacted Infernape directly in the face. The force of the attack made the Infernape stumble back in pain and for a moment, the ape-like Pokémon was dazed by the sheer force of the attack. "Follow up with a Mega Punch!" Morrison quickly ordered, obviously wanting to ride the wave of momentum onwards to victory. The right fist of the massive water type Pokémon light up in a brilliant flash of white as it stampeded across the field.

"Dig!" Ash countered with a bellow, Infernape quickly burrowed its way under the rocky battlefield and completely out of the sight of its foe.

"Focus" Morrison ordered "Sense where it is and then Mega Punch the ground to force it out of the ground". Suddenly, Infernape emerged from the underground directly underneath its foe, using its impressive strength, the final evolution of Chimchar punched the underbelly of its foe so hard, it sent it flying, rather comically, into the air and then crashing into the ground. Morrison's Swampert could only rub its own back as it rose back to its feet, its back obviously taking the full force of the impact of landing back on the ground.

"Follow that up with Mach Punch!" Ash continued, deeming it safe to utilise a close quarter and physical move against the opposing Swampert. The right fist of Ash's Infernape started to glow a bright white colour as Infernape charged across the field at such a vast speed that evading the attack would be completely impossible. Infernape's punch made a critical hit on Swampert's ribs, which were previously injured by Staraptor's Aerial Ace. "Follow up with another Flamethrower!" Ash then continued. Another stream of lava hot flames burst of the muzzle of Ash's Infernape muzzle, once again the flames licked around the body of the opposing Swampert, scorching its skin, once again leaving Swampert to roar in pure agony.

"_What a combo of moves! This Ketchum kid is awesome!" _Jerry exclaimed

"Infernape lets finish this off with Flare Blitz!" Ash bellowed, a towering inferno of blue flames erupted around the body of the fire-type Pokémon. Then, in a quick flurry of movement, Infernape charged across the battlefield ready to strike the final blow against Morrison's Swampert.

"Hydro Pump!" Morrison hastily ordered in sheer desperation. Suddenly, a massive torrent of water exploded out of the mouth of the Mud Fish Pokémon. Ash's Infernape had no chance of evading the attack due to the close proximity of the two Pokémon; therefore the powerful water type attack struck Infernape directly in the chest cavity. The force of the attack sent Ash's Infernape flying halfway across the battlefield into its own half, smashing into a boulder in the process.

"Infernape!" Ash cried, his voice tinged in a desperate tone. However, Infernape proved its fortitude by slowly, but surely rising to its feet despite the pain he felt along his spine.

"_How Infernape is standing after that attack is darn surprising" _Gerry exclaimed.

"Let's finish this off with Hammer Arm!" Morrison ordered, obviously eager to land the final blow. Both arms of his water –type Pokémon started to glow a violently bright white colour as the Swampert thundered across the field towards its foe, intent on smashing Ash's Infernape into next week.

"Dig!" Ash cried in sheer desperation. His Pokémon quickly burrowed beneath the battlefield and therefore only barely missed the powerful arms of Morrison's Swampert. "Resurface and then use Flamethrower!" Suddenly, a stream of fire erupted out of Infernape's mouth, once again threatening to burn the skin of the opposing Swampert.

"Disperse with Water Gun!" Morrison hastily countered, suddenly a massive jet of highly pressurised water fired promptly out of the muzzle of the bulky Mud Fish Pokémon, the water from the attack easily doused the incoming stream of fire. Both Pokemon clutched their respective injuries around their battle-hardened bodies, it was clear that neither could withstand more damage.

"_Which trainer-Pokémon tandem can break the deadlock and achieve victory?" _Mitchell asked.

"_I don't know but I have a feeling that this battle is about to end, both Pokemon have sustained serious damage." _Gerry confidently responded.

"Flare Blitz!" Ash ordered rather confidently, he obviously trusted in the spirit of his Infernape that had pulled him out of numerous tricky situations in the past. A torrent of fire ignited around the primate body of Ash's fire type Pokémon, Infernape then quickly stampeded across the field intent on finally ending the battle.

"Hydro Cannon!" Morrison countered in sheer desperation, his voice muffled by his nasal tone. Swampert quickly formed an orb of highly pressurised and concentrated water within its mouth. As Ash's Infernape closed in, ready to strike, Swampert released its highly powerful attack. The orb of water flew across the field, colliding directly into the incoming Infernape. A billow of smoke plumed into the air as a result of the consequential explosion that occurred upon impact of the Hydro Cannon on Infernape's body.

"_That's it! Surely this battle is over! How can anything survive that?" _Mitchell exclaimed. Mitchell's question was answered with Infernape bounding out of the smoke, its Flare Blitz attack still in full effect. Infernape collided directly into the chest cavity of Morrison Swampert sending it immediately crashing into the ground. This time, Swampert would not rise to its feet, it had been knocked unconscious due to the force of Infernape's Flare Blitz.

"_Swampert is unable to battle, Infernape is the winner! The winner of this match is Ash Ketchum who shall receive three points for his win" _the referee declared. Morrison quickly recalled his defeated Pokemon and walked back to his locker room, his head hung in self-inflicted shame.

"Thanks Infernape, you were awesome" Ash smiled, congratulating his victorious Pokemon as he too recalled his own Pokémon to its Pokéball. Soaking in the round of applause from the audience, Ash high-fived a few adoring fans in the front row of seats before he too returned to his locker room, his trusty Pikachu following him the entire way.

* * *

><p>Upon leaving the stadium, Ash and Pikachu were walking side by side to the rendezvous point with the others that had previously been agreed to be a merchandise stand around the back of the stadium to avoid the leaving crowds.<p>

"That was awesome, huh Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"_Pika!" _Ash's trusty Pokémon enthusiastically exclaimed in response.

"I'm all pumped up; I think we have the spirit to win this thing." Ash continued confidently clutching his right hand into a fist.

"Excuse me, may I have a quick interview?" a female television reporter for Global Today News suddenly asked, stepping out in front of Ash. The reporter was accompanied by a male cameraman who quickly hoisted his large and bulky camera onto his shoulder and awaited the signal to start recording footage.

"Umm... sure... I guess" Ash spluttered, obviously caught off guard by the invitation.

"You'll be fine kid, it'll be a pre-recorded interview so we can edit out any problems in post-production. If you can, try and avoid giving a 'shout-out' to friends or family" The reporter stated in re-assurance. "By the way, you did awesome today"

"Gee, thanks" Ash replied with a noticeable blush. The reporter signalled to the cameraman to start recording the footage.

"I'm Daphne Smyth reporting for Global Today News" the reporter said directly into the camera. "I am here with Ash Ketchum, the victor of the very first battle of the Pokémon World League. So Ash, how do you feel?"

"I felt great, I believed in the fighting spirit of my Pokémon, and they pulled through for me, like they have always done." Ash responded nervously, a massive red blush tingeing his otherwise relatively pale face.

"I see" Daphne muttered "How do you feel about the rest of the tournament? Especially your eventual group stage battle against Flint of the Sinnoh Elite Four?"

"While I am nervous to battle Flint, I fully believe that my Pokémon will give their very best. Win, lose or draw, they'll work their hardest and that's the most I can ask for" Ash responded.

"It seems you are very close with your Pokémon, would you rate that as being a vital trait for a Pokémon Master?"

"Of course it is. It is my dream to be a Pokémon Master, during my journey I have discovered that a close personal bond with your Pokémon is vital for success, even-more-so than brute power. Pokémon are friends, not tools."

"In conclusion, are you confident in your ability to achieve success in this tournament?" Daphne asked.

"As I said earlier, my fate lies with my Pokémon. It is their hard-work and not mine. I have full confidence in them" Ash responded.

"There you have it folks, deep insight from one of Kanto's top trainers. Now back to the newsroom." Daphne once again said directly to the camera.

"And that's a wrap" the male cameraman stated as he dismounted his camera.

"Thanks for the interview kid, it'll be aired on the Battlezone segment after the 10 O'clock news. Be sure to watch it to see what you look like on the small screen". With a strong handshake from both adults, the reporting crew left Ash, presumably heading back to their newsroom to edit their new footage.

"Well that was kinda weird" Ash muttered before he and Pikachu continued on their way towards their meet-up point with the rest of the group. Fortunately for Ash, finding the rest of the group was relatively easy given the fact that he could easily distinguish Chris' tall frame from the rest of the crowd.

"You did awesome Ash!" Dawn exclaimed giving her best friend a high-five.

"I agree Ash, just like in Hoenn you beat Morrison. It's a shame he broke down in the middle of the battle again" Brock said, throwing in his own opinion.

"I just wish that just once I get a proper battle against him" Ash responded, still slightly irritated at the course of the battle

"Never-the less Ash, it was an awesome battle. I took some notes on your strategy, you sure are on helluva battler" Chris drawled, patting his friend on the back.

"Congratulations dude" Josh smiled warmly shaking Ash's hand.

"Gee thanks guys" Ash said with a blush. "But where to now? It's only about 2pm." Ash said confirming the time by checking his Pokédex.

"Well Dawn, Josh and Chris have their first battles over the next couple of days. I suggest we head back into the park and get some more practise in. You and me could act as observers and we can even assist in their training as sparring partners."

"I'm down with that" Chris and Josh chorally stated.

"That would be good. I want to refine some contest moves I plan to use as part of my first battle." Dawn said in agreement.

"Ok then, off we go!" Ash exclaimed, his Pikachu squeaking in agreement.

**A/N:**

**The original plan was for Infernape to activate its Blaze ability but as you all know, the last thing I need to do is flood my fic with even more clichés.**

**For those who aren't so aware of the world of WWE. Gerry McLawson and Mitchell Coleson are a product of my lack of creativity and my willingness to plagiarise the world of wrestling (which I'm a part of so it's ok... I guess xD)**

**Next chapter features numerous OC's minus a few ones I want to introduce separately (particularly Tendou Souji's OC who doesn't really fit in with the theme of the next chapter and Flashfire 360's OC who I plan to introduce in a different way seeing as our fics are chronologically and plot-wise linked). Otherwise, I need around 23 OC's for the next chapter.**


	5. The Battle Royale

**Author's Note: **

**Hello my peeps, it's been a while hasn't it? I can write 100 explanations to explain my leave of absence, those of you who communicate with me frequently have an idea of a recent negative event that occurred in my life. It's over now, I'm back, and I'm never leaving again (though, I'll be very busy at school).**

**This is an experimental chapter, if it works, the event in this chapter shall be used later in the fic. Remember to provide your thoughts on the chapter in a review!**

**Also, due to the recent release of Black and White 2, some of the changes in those games have been added to my canon of my fic (move set changes specifically)**

**Also, I'm not very art savvy (I'm colour-blind in fact), if one of you guys could make a book cover for me I'd be forever grateful (also a reward will be given to the person who does this favour.) **

**While OC's will be used in this chapter, not all of those submitted will be used for the following reasons;**

**Your OC just flat out sucks- **_**applies to very few submissions.**_

**I have plans to introduce OC's in later chapters.**

**Lack of time **

**LAWS- (Lazy Ass Writer's Syndrome)- **_**the main reason.**_

Chapter 5: The Battle Royale:

After a quick round of celebratory ice-cream to celebrate Ash's win over Morrison, the gang promptly made their way deep into the forest to find a particularly secluded spot for their training.

"... so, after I destroyed Josh in the Semi-Finals I faced our travelling partner, Renn Silver, in the Final of the Sinnoh League. It was a bit surreal; he had beaten me previously during our Hoenn League run. It was my time for revenge" Chris cockily ranted. "It was a battle of epic proportions, of course, I won and was crowned Sinnoh League Champion. Best moment of my life" Chris finished with a grin. It was obvious that the teenager was recounting the story to impress Dawn.

"Ah , that's only the thousandth time you have recounted that story over the past couple of days" Josh snorted. "I'm sure the others are sick of it, God knows that I am".

"It's an inspirational story of a boy achieving his boyhood dream, how can you get sick of it?" Chris shrugged not seeing the point of Josh's argument.

"Actually, I for one enjoy the story. It's my dream to win a major regional championship one day. Hearing Chris' experience only fuels my passion" Ash nodded, his Pikachu which was perched on his shoulder agreed with its own nod.

"See? I'm an inspiration" Chris grinned.

Suddenly, a small reptilian Pokémon emerged from under a hedge brush and took up position in front of the group. The Pokémon in question was for the most part, a lush green colour expect from its underside which was coloured a distinct cream colour. A yellow stripe ran down the Pokémon's back to its tail while yellow markings were formed around the eyelids of the creature. Yellow structures protruded out from both of its shoulders that bend backwards giving the appearance of a collar. A set of fully functioning limbs branched out from the Pokémon's torso, while a large palmate leaf was located on the end of its tail.

"What the hell is _that" _Chris muttered while pointing his right index finger at the unfamiliar creature.

"I've never seen of them before" Ash responded.

"Whatever the hell it is, I want it!" Josh cried.

"Over my dead body" Chris grunted. "It's mine!" He then cried hurling an empty Pokéball directly towards the new Pokémon, in an obvious attempt to catch it. The Pokéball opened up in usual fashion but failed to suck the Pokémon inside of the capsule. The Pokémon became enraged by Chris' action and promptly launched an Energy Ball attack directly at the teenager. Fortunately for Chris, Ash's Pikachu responded to the incoming attack and deflected the attack away with a potent Iron Tail. This sent the green orb spiralling into the nearby hedge brush.

"Ow!" a voice from the behind the hedge cried out. A figure stumbled out from behind the hedge clutching his head which was obviously hit by the stray Energy Ball. The figure, in fact was a teenage boy. The teen stood at a height of 6 foot 2 with an average build, sported chocolate brown hair and had a warm and welcoming pair of deep blue eyes. The newcomer wore a Philadelphia Eagles jersey that was an exact of replica of Michael Vick's number 7 jersey; the teenager also wore a pair of brown khaki cargo pants and on his feet he wore a pair of black Nike sneakers. "Oh _there _you are Snivy, you really have to stop wandering off" the teenager lectured to the small Pokémon before lifting it into his arms.

"Excuse me" Chris coughed. "I'm guessing that's your Pokémon?" the gargantuan then asked rubbing his rough and slightly hairy chin.

"Yeah, this is my Snivy" the trainer snorted quickly.

"A Snivy? I've never heard of that Pokémon!" Ash exclaimed with excitement, obviously deeply intrigued by the new Pokémon.

"It's from the Unova region, a far-off region a long way west from here. I have cousins who live there, they sent me over an egg for my recent 17th birthday, Snivy hatched out of it. I was as surprised as you were when I first seen it." The trainer beamed proudly.

"Hey, what's your name?" Chris said awkwardly, unsure whether to act friendly with the group's new acquaintance.

"I'm Jason. Jason Sorenson. It's nice to meet you" Jason stated holding out his right arm in an invitation for a handshake

"I'm Christopher Moore" Chris responded accepting Jason's offer of a handshake.

"I'm Joshua Moore." Josh suddenly interrupted "I'm the freak's brother" the younger Moore brother quipped before being slapped across the back of his head by Chris in retaliation for his comment.

"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town" Ash warmly greeted, while his Pikachu equalled its trainer's response. "And this is Brock and Dawn" he continued introducing his two friends.

"Nice to meet you" Dawn cheerily beamed.

"Nice to meet you Jason" Brock then said warmly, shaking Jason's hand.

"Hey Jason, what are you doing so far out into the forest?" Ash asked innocently.

"I'm looking for Stadium 28; I heard that there is going to be a 'Battle Royale' today" Jason explained in a warm welcoming tone.

"Battle Royale?" Ash asked entirely bemused by the concept.

"It's a sort of battle akin to a free for all street-fight. Two Pokémon start off and another one enters every minute. Last Pokémon standing is the winner." Jason responded. "I'm not too familiar with the rules, I think I missed out a detail or two"

"Sounds brutal" Dawn stated.

"Sounds _awesome" _Chris countered. "That sounds like my kind of battle, a fast and furious pace, my Pokémon thrive on that"

"It certainly is an interesting concept" Brock mused as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm in" Josh chuckled.

"Me too!" Ash exclaimed "Me and Pikachu are always ready for a new challenge!" he then confidently stated.

"Well Dawn, it looks like the fellas are all in, are you?" Chris drawled in his deep but nearly monotonous tone, a blush noticeably appearing on his face.

"Sure" Dawn nodded "It's not like I have a choice in the matter" she softly chuckled.

"Lead the way Jason!" Ash enthusiastically cried. Externally, Ash was eager to experience the new form of battling, however, the Pallet Town native was near the point of exhaustion and it had been a long day for the trainer due to the earlier battle and the non-stop walking.

0000000

The group's journey to the stadium took slightly longer than expected, especially confounded by Chris, Ash and Josh's declaration that they were "starving". The resulting stop at a Fast-Food restaurant ended with Ash's Infernape literally dragging the three teenagers out of the restaurant on account of the trio's gluttonous appetitive. The stadium that the group eventually arrived at, was a relatively small stadium compared to the other mammoth stadiums that had been constructed for the tournament. The group entered the lobby of the stadium and were met with the sight of a multitude of trainers and spectators alike.

"Hello, are you planning to participate in the Battle Royale or watch it?" a Nurse Joy suddenly asked the group, as if appearing from thin air.

"We are planning to participate, all of us" Chris answered.

"Right this way" Nurse Joy said leading the group to a registration desk. "Please sign these forms" he then promptly asked handing a couple of registration forms to each person in the group. Fortunately, the form was mercifully easy to complete, especially for the participants in the main tournament as issues like insurance and consent had already been agreed upon. "Now if you could follow me" the nurse continued leading the group to the locker room areas. The group was left in an exceptionally large room with other trainers that number approximately 20 in number.

"Huh, I thought there would have been more trainers" Chris snorted.

"Remember Chris, there are other battles today, most trainers are probably watching those" Brock explained.

"Can I have everyone's attention!" a single female voice cried. A Nurse Joy appeared at the front of the room with what could be described as a roller cage that was akin to the one used in Bingo games. "Ok, first let me explain the rules of this. Firstly, there are 30 of you, so 30 trainers will compete. Two trainers start off on the field, and another one joins them every 90 seconds. Pokémon are eliminated either by knock-out or being forced of the designated battle area. The last Pokémon standing will be declared the winner. The winning trainer will be rewarded with _this". _Suddenly, the Nurse Joy took out a miniature red leather box that was previously concealed in her apron. The Nurse Joy promptly opened the box which revealed a Pokéball. Similarly to normal Pokéballs the top and bottom halves were divided by a horizontal black band, on which is the button that controlled the opening mechanism found on all Pokéballs. However, unlike other conventional Pokéballs, the top half of the ball was purple, with a white letter "M" on the front, with a pink circle on either side of the sphere. "This is a Master Ball, a Pokéball that can catch any wild Pokémon without fail."

"Now _that _is a good prize" Josh smirked folding his arms across his chest.

"Imagine the possibilities, even a legendary could be caught with the sheer power of that Master Ball" Jason said almost dreamily.

"You guys just stay clear from me. That Master Ball is _mine" _Chris stated aggressively, his competitive streak apparent in his body language and vocal tone.

"If you can please form a single file line in front of the roller cage, you will receive a randomly allocated number. This will be your order of entry" Nurse Joy further explained. The trainer's in the room hastily formed a queue in which the group found themselves at the back of. One by one, each trainer stepped up to the roller cage with each receiving a sphere that opened to reveal a number on a piece of paper indicating that trainer's entry in the Battle Royale. It took a few minutes before each member of the group received their entry number.

"So, what number did you guys get?" Chris asked as he idly fidgeted his sphere between his fingers.

"Number 20" Brock responded "I guess Sudowoodo would be my best option".

"I got number 19, Could be worse" Josh replied with a shrug.

"Number 25" Jason grinned

"Number 11" Dawn stated

"Aw man" Ash moaned opening his own sphere. "I got number one, I enter first." Ash then said in a dejected tone. I'll have to overcome 29 other people to win"

"Well then you'll just be overjoyed with my number of entry" Chris said as he flashed a cocky grin. He held out his piece of paper up to Ash's face which then paled upon noticing Chris' number.

_Number 30_

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For the second time that day, Ash found himself alone in a rather dark and grimy corridor with his ever trusty Pikachu.

"_Cha" _Pikachu squeaked as it nuzzled up against its trainer's leg.

"Of course I'm tense Pikachu" Ash responded with a slight snort.

"_Pika"_ Pikachu quite sternly responded.

"It's not my fault that we are entering first!" Ash exclaimed "I say we just get this over with. Chris is the one who wanted to do this, that Master Ball is as good as his due to the fact that he is entering last"

"_Can Ash Ketchum make his way out onto the field?" _the stadium's internal announcement system asked in an androgynous and monotonous voice.

"_Please welcome to the field, the trainer who drew number one, Ash Ketchum!" _a male announcer exclaimed across the stadium wide, announcement system. A loud cheer erupted from the crowd for Ash who had obviously gained a fan base from his performance in his earlier battle.

"Well buddy, this is it. Let's give it all that we can" Ash said with finality. He let his trusty Pikachu perch on his shoulder and with a quick rustle of his raven black hair he made his way down the open ended corridor which led out onto the battlefield. The first thing Ash noticed was the surprising number of spectators at the rather low key event. He estimated that around 10,000 spectators were present at the event, each of whom were shouting and screaming at their vocal capacity. Ash then noticed that the drawn out square on the ground was larger than usual and covered most the Astroturf field. Ash found a suitable side of the field opposite the entrance way, standing back from the designated battle area as he waited for the next entrant.

"_Please welcome the number two entrant, Gustav Johansson!" _the announcer stated. A tall, Nordic blonde haired teenager stepped out onto the field to a modest round of applause. The trainer wore dark blue jeans which accompanied a black and white T-Shirt. A handful of referees appeared from the same entrance way and took up positions around the battle area, they were obviously strategically positioned to provide a close eye on the action during the Battle Royale and to declare eliminations. Gustav took up his position on the opposite side of the field to Ash.

"_Ok trainers please select the Pokémon you wish to use!" _the male announcer exclaimed.

"Electabuzz! Let's do this!" Gustav cried in a thick Swedish accent. A yellow bodied humanoid Pokémon with black stripes appeared on the field with a roar.

"Ok Pikachu, let's do our best!" Ash called, his Electric typed Mouse Pokémon eagerly ran onto the battlefield and awaited the official start of the Battle Royale.

"_Let's get ready to RRR-UUU-MMM-BBB-LLL-EEE!" _the announcer cried, surprisingly pulling off a decent Michael Buffer impersonation. The Titantron above the battlefield sprung to life, as timer counting from 90 seconds appeared on the screen.

"Ok Pikachu we have to outlast 29 other trainers, take it slow and do your best to avoid direct hits" Ash warned.

"Electabuzz use Protect" Gustav ordered, his Pokémon obeyed his trainer's orders by using its aura to erect a yellow barrier around itself, this coloured barrier then suddenly became invisible and seemingly vanished from the air. "Ok, now use Barrier" suddenly, a pale blue barrier was formed around the vicinity of the Electabuzz, much like the Light Screen, it too became invisible to the naked eye.

"_Ok he's going for a highly defensive approach" _Ash thought _"It seems that he won't rush into attack._" Ash's thought process continued. "Ok Pikachu, probe their defences with a Thunderbolt" Ash ordered. The Electricity stored in the two red sacs on the Electric Mouse's cheeks cackled and eventually fired at full force towards the opposing Electabuzz. As expected the Light Screen absorbed much of the attack while only a miniscule of the Thunderbolt attack made it through the protective shield and struck the Gustav's Pokémon inflicting a very small amount of damage.

"_5...4...3...2...1!" _the crowd chanted, counting down the last seconds on the timer.

"_Please welcome the participant who drew number 3, Zack Oliver!" _the Michael Buffer impersonator/announcer declared. A 6 foot 3, 16 year old trainer emerged from the entranceway. Zack sported black spiked hair, tanned skin, deep brown eyes and a clean shaven face. Zack also wore a plain green shirt underneath a long sleeved chequered green and black buttoned shirt along with black jean shorts. Zack took up position on the nearest side of the field to him and unleashed a feisty Linoone onto the battlefield.

"Use Slash on the Electabuzz!" Zack enthusiastically ordered, the sharp, but tiny claws of the feline like Pokémon emitted a bright white colour as it rapidly slashed its claws towards the medium sized Electric Pokémon. Fortunately for Gustav, Electabuzz's Barrier blunted the force of Linoone's repeated attacks.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the Linnone!" Ash called, Ash's ever reliable Pokémon unleashed a torrent of electricity upon the ferret-like creature who crumpled to the ground in sheer agony.

"Electabuzz use Thunderpunch on that Pikachu!" Gustav ordered. Electabuzz's fist started to cackle with electricity that had previously been stored within its body. The Swede's Pokémon punched the helpless Pikachu savagely in the soft abdomen of the Electric Mouse Pokémon. Ash's Pokémon could only stumble back in obvious pain.

"_There goes the avoiding strategy" _Ash inwardly thought though gritted teeth.

"_5...4...3...2...1!"_ the crowd once again chanted

"_Please welcome the number four entrant, Peter Ramirez!" _the announcer declared. A Hispanic teenager wearing a plain white cotton shirt and blue denim jeans walked out onto the arena floor. Peter Ramirez took up his own position in an area relatively close to Ash. The new entrant then promptly released his Watchdog onto the battlefield.

"This is going to be a long day" Ash muttered dejectedly. Between his battle earlier in the day, walking between destinations and now this Battle Royale, he was utterly physically drained.

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"Ash looks exhausted" Dawn mused in concern. Back in the locker-room, the group had found themselves huddled around a small television that broadcast the action from the battlefield back to the trainers waiting for their turn to enter the fray.

"I can understand why, that battle earlier must have taken a lot out of Ash." Brock responded. "As you know, battling is very tiring for both trainers and Pokémon; furthermore, Ash has literally been on his feet all day. I'm surprised that he hasn't collapsed yet."

"Ash seems like a strong kid" Jason stated "I managed to catch some of his battle earlier, he's talented and very skilful, I reckon he could win this thing."

"Nah, bro, Ash is a good battler, but surely he can't last the entire duration of the Battle Royale" Chris said seriously, talking in a tone suggesting that his word was fact. "Besides, if he survives long enough, he'll have to go through _me." _The tall teen then lightly chuckled.

"You are far too cocky for your own good" Jason replied with a smirk, he was obviously amused by the teenager's antics.

"Hey, it's not being cocky if it's true."

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"_Please welcome the trainer who drew number 11, Dawn Berlitz!" _the announcer cried. Dawn shyly appeared out of the trainer's entranceway, cautiously making her way over to the battlefield, she walked around the edge of the battlefield until she stood directly beside Ash. The sapphire haired trainer released her Piplup out of its Pokéball and sent it out onto the battlefield where it quickly sought out Ash's Pikachu and took up a battle stance.

"Hey Dawn" Ash weakly smiled, in an attempt of a warm greeting to his friend.

"You look exhausted, you should really pull out" Dawn replied in concern.

"I'm fine Dawn, I'm not tired and I'm wide awake." Ash blatantly lied. "Besides, I'm not the quitting type; I'm here until the end."

"I'm not convinced Ash" Dawn responded with a sigh.

"_Just for those keeping record, we have had 11 entrants, with six eliminations; Patrick Wispa, the fifth entrant, Robert Albert, the sixth entrant, Andrew Griffin, the seventh entrant, Thomas Dorman, the eighth entrant, Patricia Barr, the ninth entrant and Wallace Grissom, the tenth entrant. The first four entrants have been dominant; Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu have been responsible for a total of 3 eliminations with the other three trainers being responsible for one elimination each." _

"Watchdog use Hyper Fang on that Piplup!" Peter called as he suddenly concentrated his attack on one particular opponent. The razor sharp fangs of the Lookout Pokémon started to emit a bright and brilliant white colour, the meerkat-like Pokémon then charged across the field towards Dawn's Piplup. Without second thought, Ash's Pikachu struck the charging Watchdog with a swift Iron Tail to the back of the head, knocking it unconscious.

"_Peter Ramirez and his Watchdog have been eliminated!" _the announcer cried.

"Damn it" Peter seethed as he returned his Pokémon, the now defeated trainer was now forced to leave the battlefield due to his Pokémon's elimination .

"Nice one" Dawn lightly chuckled in a warm tone.

"No problem Dawn, we are friends, we stick together to the end" Ash responded. The two friends then congratulated each other with a high-five.

"_5...4...3...2...1!" _the crowd once again chanted as they counted down the remaining seconds on the timer.

"_Please welcome the trainer who drew number 12, Brett Kuso!" _the announcer declared. A tall, 214 pound teenager emerged onto the battlefield. Brett sported black spiky which deeply contrasted his light but somewhat pale skin tone. Brett wore a zipped up red hoodie which had an image of a blue unidentifiable dragon emblazoned on the back along with the phrase 'Battle hard, no matter what'. Brett also wore blue denim jeans and wore a pair of black and red sneakers. A blue and red tight fitting baseball cap sat on the head of the teenager. Brett situated himself on the left hand side of the battlefield, Brett then released his disaster Pokémon, an Absol onto the battlefield.

"Absol use Night Slash on that Pikachu!" Brett called, the blade like structure on the head of the Disaster Pokémon started to glow a deep, dark purple colour signifying an attempt to strike Ash's Pikachu. Brett's Absol charged across the field towards Pikachu with rather malicious intent.

"Piplup stop that Absol with a Bubblebeam!" Dawn ordered upon noticing the charging Absol. Her small penguin-like Pokémon unleashed a stream of bubbles towards the incoming Disaster Pokémon, the bubbles exploded upon contact with the Dark-type's body. This had the effect of stopping the Pokémon dead in its tracks, completely dazed by the attack the Absol collapsed to the ground in a heap, down, but certainly not out.

"One- one" Dawn lightly laughed. "You saved me, I saved you"

"We really are in sync with each other" Ash responded with a warm smile.

"Best friends till the end" Dawn warmly replied with a chuckle. The two best friends then preceded to once again warmly high-five each other.

Pikachu and Piplup continued to stand by each other on the battlefield; the two small, but powerful creatures provided protection to each other to ensure their survival in the increasingly chaotic battle royale. Piplup would blast oncoming foes with a Hydro Pump while Pikachu would fry nearby Pokémon with its potent Thunderbolt attack.

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"Whoa, Ash and Dawn are really tearing it up out there." Josh said in near astonishment.

"Ash and Dawn sure are a good duo" Jason chimed in with his own opinion.

"Ash and Dawn have always had a good chemistry with each other. The two are like a brother/sister duo." Brock responded with his own opinion, which of course was based upon his observations when travelling with the two in Sinnoh.

Chris however chose to remain quiet. The tall teen inwardly calculated the best approach in which to operate upon entering the battle. _"I'll be last in, the majority of the other trainers and their Pokémon will be fatigued. A blitzkrieg like attack will be the best approach. Jet's Aqua Jet and Hydro Pump attacks would do the trick. This is battle royale is mine for the winning."_

"Chris is lost in his own little world again" Josh muttered in a tone of moderate frustration.

"The guy sure is focused" Jason lightly chuckled.

"_Can number 19 begin to make his way onto the field?" _the internal PA system droned.

"Well, it looks like it's my time to shine!" Josh chimed as he walked out the locker room.

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"_5...4...3...2...1!" _the crowd chanted once again counting down with the timer.

"_Ladies and gentleman, please welcome the trainer who drew number 19, Joshua Moore!_" Josh appeared onto the field to a very lukewarm reaction. Josh circled the battlefield and finally took up position in a nearby position to both Ash and Dawn.

"Ok, Shadowbolt, let's do this!" Josh called. The younger of the Moore brother's, released his Spark Pokémon, a Luxio onto the field. The lion like Pokémon roared as it took up a battle stance on the battlefield.

"_Ok ladies and gentlemen a quick recap of the events of the battle royale. The number 12 and 13 entrants were quickly eliminated due to a lightning response by Brett Kuso to keep potential rivals at bay. Entrant number 14, Philip Levin has been going steady in this battle, his Mamoswine is largely taking a defensive approach to this battle and is only expending energy when provoked to do so. Entrant number 15, __Lucas "Prinz" Matsumoto, has done largely nothing since releasing his Sableye onto the field and has merely studied the movements and tactics of his opponents. Entrant number 16, Damien Morris has been using his Marowak to great effect and his Ground type Pokémon has been decimating its opponents. Roger Smith, the 17__th__ entrant was quickly eliminated as his Cinccino was quickly targeted and eliminated by Damien Morris' Marowak. The number 19__th__ entrant, Eon Angelos has used his Typhlosion to great effect and has begun to weaken down his opponents despite only being on the field for about 90 seconds." _The announcer quickly recapped

"Shadowbolt, use Charge to store up energy" Josh softly, but swiftly commanded

"Marowak, take that Luxio out with a Take Down!" Damien sternly ordered.

"Evade!" Josh cried. His feline like Pokémon used its impressive agility to sidestep the rampaging Marowak. The Ground-typed creature continued charging until it had inadvertently left the designated battle area, thereby accidently eliminating itself from the battle.

"_Damien Morris has been eliminated due to his Pokémon leaving the battle area!" _the announcer declared.

"How can that be!" the angry teen fumed as he returned his now eliminated Pokémon and stormed off the field while angrily flailing his limbs into the air.

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Chris could only watch in absolute amusement from the locker room, every time one of the trainer's on the field expended their Pokémon's energy by issuing an attack order it only served to increase his own inflated chances of emerging victorious. His attention was solely turned to the television that aired the events on the field back into the locker-room. Chris watched intently as the trainer who drew number 29 ran onto the field and promptly released her Beedrill into the fray only for it to be quickly eliminated by Eon Angelos Typhlosion. From what Chris could see, only a few trainers remained standing in the Battle Royale; Eon Angelos, Philip Levin, Brett Kuso and finally his newfound coalition of friends, Brock, Dawn, Ash, Jason and of course his brother Josh. The group of friends on the field had established an alliance between themselves with Ash's Pikachu and Dawn's Piplup double teaming Kuso's Absol, Jason's Snivy and Brock's Sudowoodo battled Levin's Mamoswine while Josh's Luxio held its own against Eon Angelos potent Typhlosion.

"_Can the trainer who drew number 30 make their way to the field?" _the internal PA system droned.

"My time to shine" Chris beamed with a grin.

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"_Please welcome the trainer who drew number 30, Christopher Moore!"_ the announcer cried. The tall teen emerged on the field to a rather muted reaction. Ignoring the lack of reaction, Chris unclipped a Pokéball from his belt and released his Buizel, Jet, onto the field. The Sea Weasel Pokémon slapped its chest with its paws to psych itself up for the battle.

On the other side of the field, Ash's Pikachu launched a Quick Attack intended to strike Brett Kuso's Absol. However, fortunately for the Disaster Pokémon it leapt over the oncoming attack. Unable to stop its hyper-sped charge, Pikachu streaked across the field and inadvertently struck Chris' Buizel in the chest which caused Chris' Pokémon to stumble back out of the battle area, and thus eliminating Buizel.

"But... but... but" Chris stammered in sheer shock. He had barely participated in all but 5 seconds of the Battle Royale before his Pokémon's impromptu and shocking elimination. Chris' bottom lip trembled and tears began to form in his eyes as he was forced to return his defeated Pokémon back into its Pokéball.

"_Christopher Moore has been eliminated!" _the announcer declared. _"Our studio is telling me that his elimination was indeed the fastest to occur in this Royale. What a shame." _The announcer continued as he read information from his personal PDA. Ash immediately shot Chris an apologetic glance; however Chris could only sigh and was finally escorted off the field by event staff.

"Absol use Night Slash on that Sudowoodo!" Brett quickly commanded, the trainer clearly hoped to seize the initiative from the brief interruption. The blade protruding from the Pokémon's scalp began to glow a sickly dark purplish colour which signified the immense build up to evil energy to successfully launch the Night Slash attack. Absol quickly slashed its blade across the torso of the tree-like Sudowoodo who yelped in pain. Absol viciously followed up on its attack by tackling the Sudowoodo out off the battle area and thus eliminating Brock's Pokémon.

"_Brock Harrison has been eliminated!" _

"Aw shucks" Brock sighed, he quickly recalled his fallen Pokémon and walked off the field back to the locker room to rejoin with Chris.

"Ok Typhosion, used Flamethrower on that Pikachu!" Eon ordered.

"Piplup, stop him with a Hydro Pump!" Dawn quickly countered in an attempt to protect her friend. Fortunately for Ash and his Pikachu, Dawn Piplup had launched a massive torrent of water towards the Typhlosion, knocking it out cold before it had the chance to inflict any more harm.

"_Eon Angelos has been eliminated!" _Eon could only recall his fallen partner and make his own way back to the locker room.

At the same time, on the other side of the field, Jason and Josh's Pokemon both eliminated Philip Levin's Mamoswine via a flurry of potent attack and eventually knocked the mammoth scaled Pokémon out cold.

"_Philip Levin is now eliminated! The pace of this endgame is furious! I can't keep track!"_

"Absol quickly take out that Piplup!" Brett cried. His powerful Absol quickly charged across the field and landed a crunching tackle into the torso of Dawn's tiny penguin Pokémon, which sent it rather comically flying out of the square battle area.

"_Dawn Berlitz has been eliminated!" _. Both Dawn and Philip were left astounded by their quick eliminations from the competition and could only solemnly return their Pokémon and walk off slowly off the field. _"And we are down to the final four competitors, who will win? Ash Ketchum, the first entrant? Brett Kuso, the dominant trainer since his entry? Jason Sorenson? Or the energetic Joshua Moore?" _

"This guy has been in far too long" Josh muttered to both Ash and Jason.

"I agree, we need to take him out as a collective unit" Ash replied.

"I'm in, what's the plan?" Jason whispered back.

"Overpower him, there's no way he can handle to responding to all three of us. Once we take care of him, all bets are off; it'll be a free for all between us, deal?" Josh once again muttered.

"Deal" Ash and Jason replied with their own whisper.

"Ok fellas, follow my lead" Josh muttered. "Shadowbolt use Spark on Absol!" Josh bellowed. Luxio's entire body began to cackle with electricity, the lion-like creature thundered across the field towards its foe.

"Counter with Take Down, take him head on!" Brett countered.

"Not so fast! Snivy use Leaf Tornado!" Jason quickly commanded. The small grass type Pokémon's eyes started to glow a bright green colour, at the same time, a modest sized tornado of razor edged leaves formed in the air. The attack spun at a high velocity across the field towards Brett's charging Disaster Pokémon, fortunately for the trio, the powerful Pokémon was caught up in the tornado of leaves, sustaining damage from the razor sharp leaves that cut and sliced into its skin. Furthermore, Josh's Luxio added to the Absol's torture by slamming head first into the dazed Pokémon, inflicting even more damage.

"Ok Pikachu! Finish him off with an Iron Tail!" Ash ordered, seizing the opportunity to finally defeat the Absol once and for all. Upon command, the lightning bolt shaped tail of the electric rodent omitted a bright white colour as it gained the density of steel. Pikachu leapt into the air and brought its now heavy tail down directly onto the head of the severely weakened Absol. The Pokémon crashed into the floor of the grassy battlefield; it was obvious that the Absol was not going to recover from the vicious beating that it had sustained.

"_Kuso's Absol has been defeated! Brett Kuso has been eliminated!" _the announcer bellowed _"We are down to three competitors!" _Brett Kuso returned his fallen Pokémon and left the field to an appreciative round of applause from the crowd.

"Well fellas, let the best man win" Josh stated turning to face both Ash and Jason. "Luxio use Spark!" Josh then quickly and suddenly yelled, once again the coat of his Luxio began to cackle with electricity, Josh's electric typed Pokémon charged in the general direction of Snivy and Pikachu, ready to crash into either one of the smaller Pokémon. Both Pikachu and Snivy used their advantage of small stature to roll out of the way of Josh's rampaging Luxio. Unfortunately for the younger Moore brother, his Luxio failed to stop in time and eventually ran over the battle area boundary

"_Joshua Moore has been eliminated. His surprise attack worked against and now he has paid the price! We are now down to two competitors!" _

"Ok Ash let's make it a good one" Jason said warmly as he turned to Ash. The brown haired teenager invitingly outstretched his right hand in offer of a friendly handshake.

"You are on" Ash responded with a weak, exhausted grin as he slowly shook his new found acquaintance's hand.

"_This is what battling is all about folks! What a show of respect between these two trainers!" _

"Ok Snivy, probe his defences with a Vine Whip" Jason coolly commanded. Two long, green vines literally flew out of both sides of the small grass typed Pokémon's yellow neck collar. The grassy vine like whips flailed and slapped away at Pikachu's fur.

"Use Thunderbolt to get rid of them!" Ash quickly responded. A large jolt of electricity quickly fired from the two red sacs on the electric rodent's cheeks. The electricity zapped at the vine protrusions until Snivy was forced to retract them. "Follow up with Iron Tail!" Pikachu's lightning bolt shaped tail started to glow a bright white colour as the tail took on the density of a thick sheet of iron.

"Energy Ball!" Jason hastily replied. His reptilian Pokémon quickly formed a green orb of grass type energy on the tip of its own leaf-shaped tail."And fire!" Snivy immediately responded to her trainer's command by propelling the orb of energy towards her oncoming foe.

"Spin out of the way and use Quick Attack!" Ash countered, his Pikachu leapt into the air and spun gracefully past the incoming orb of energy. Then, as if suddenly, Pikachu rapidly charged earthbound towards his foe.

"Evade!" Jason roared. However, unfortunately for Jason and his Snivy, Pikachu's speed was vastly superior, due to brunt force of Pikachu's small by sturdy frame crashing into the much younger Snivy, the small grass Pokemon was flung into the air for a brief second before crashing back down to earth outside of the battle area.

"_Jason Sorenson has been eliminated! Ash Ketchum is the winner!" _

"You got me" Jason shrugged as solemnly returned his fallen Snivy back to its Pokeball before turning to Ash and offering him another handshake. "Well done Ash, you deserve it, one day I want another crack at you and that Pikachu of yours"

"It would be my honour buddy" Ash smiled back, once again shaking Jason's hand.

"I'll leave you to it then, once again, congratulations dude" Jason then walked off the field and into the backstage area presumably to meet up with the others.

The Nurse Joy who had previously informed the trainers of the rules of the Battle Royale appeared on the field carrying the same red box that contained Ash's reward, the ultra rare Master Ball. "Congratulations, Ash" the Nurse warmly smiled as she handed Ash the box. The Nurse then walked off the field and back down the entrance tunnel.

"_Once again, your winner, Ash Ketchum!" _The crowd exploded in rapturous applause in respect for Ash's iron man survivability. The young Pallet Town native could only take in the atmosphere, before leaving the field with his ever trusty Pokémon by his side.

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By the time Ash had returned to the locker room, he found that the room was all but deserted minus his friends who had obviously stayed behind to wait on their victorious friend. The first thing that Ash noticed upon entering the room was that Chris was sitting dejectedly on the floor against a wall, a look of shock and shame was etched on his face. The paw-like hands of the teenager cradled his head, Chris had obviously yet to fully process what had happened to him.

"Ignore the genetic freak over there" Josh warned "The big fella is in a state of shock, never seen anything like it. He just hates losing. Congrats on winning by the way"

"Thanks Josh" Ash warmly nodded.

"So Ash, what is it like to own a Master Ball?" Jason asked intrigued by the potential Ash wielded due to the fact that he could catch any wild Pokémon he wished to do so without fail.

"It's a bit weird actually" Ash shrugged. He unboxed the purple and white sphere and began to lazily twirl it between his fingers.

"What do you intend to do with it?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know, I don't think I could bring myself to capture a legendary." Ash honestly replied.

"You should though. You'd tear through this tournament like scissors through soft fabric." Jason pointed out.

"Even still, I'm not that type of person, I want to use my own Pokémon, I have full faith in them. I'm sure that in time, I'll figure out a use for it." Ash replied with assurance, effectively ending the discussion over the ball.

"So what now?" Josh asked.

"Well I for one have pressing matters to attend to, I have a match in a few days which I need to prepare for" Jason responded, awkwardly shuffling his feet against the ground. "Which is a shame; I really enjoyed hanging out with you guys."

"Us too Jason. We'll be delighted to meet up with you again" Ash warmly replied with his usual welcoming smile.

"See you soon" Jason nodded back. "I'll see you around" he added before leaving room.

"So what do we do?" Dawn questioned.

"I'm exhausted." Ash complained as he dramatically mocked going to sleep by slowly closing his eyes.

"I suggest an early night, you two have separate battles tomorrow of course." Brock stated pointing to both Josh and Dawn.

"Darn!" Josh face-palmed. "I completely forgot about that! I need to prepare!"

"I'm sure we can make a small detour back through the park, you and Dawn can polish up on some tactics and we can head back to the apartment." Brock suggested.

"Sounds like a plan" Dawn nodded.

"It's a deal then" Ash added.

"You coming big guy?" Josh bent down as he addressed his elder brother. "Come on, 'lemme give you a hand up", the younger Moore brother continued offering his hand out.

"I'll... catch up... with you g-guys later... I have some t-things to... do" Chris softly muttered before quickly covering his face with his hands in shame.

"Are you sure that he'll be ok?" Ash sceptically asked.

"Aye, he'll be fine, he just hates losing, and he'll be back to his egotistical self in a few hours. He'll catch up with us eventually" Josh quickly responded. "Come on, time is money!" he cried, hurriedly rushing the others out of the room.

It took Chris a few minutes of solidarity before he eventually heaved himself up to his feet. An angry scowl suddenly formed across his face. He slowly walked out of the room, but not before nearly putting his foot through the locker room door by kicking it with a horrific force.

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"Damnit" Chris angrily seethed. The tall teen had been circling around the same two blocks for at least two hours. "How could _I_, Christopher Moore lose? I _never _lose!" he growled, his Irish temper shining through. The tall teen aggressively eyed his surroundings, other trainers lazed around various cafes in groups and others pleasantly talked to each other while others bragged about their previous victories. "Do I need to train more?" he muttered "No, it can't be, my Pokémon are in supreme condition. Is it _me? _No, it can't be, I'm the best in the world!" he harshly whispered to himself. Suddenly, his overall mood suddenly changed, "All this talk isn't going to change anything. I better head back and apologise to the others" he eventually sighed. The tall teen made an abrupt turn off down a side street and began the journey back to his rented apartment.

Little did the teenager know, a figure wearing a black Stetson hat down over his eyes and a long black trench coat, looked up from his newspaper, drained the last of his cup of coffee, left his table and finally took his phone out of his coat pocket. The somewhat shadowy figure unlocked his phone and furiously punched in a series of numbers. "Visual sighting confirmed, it's him."

**AN: Dear goodness, that was a pain to write. I don't think that I've ever loathed writing so much ever before. This entire chapter felt like a chore. Lesson learned- I'm not good with chapters covering numerous characters. **

**If your OC wasn't featured, don't complain, it was purely time issues, if I was to include EVERYONE'S OC I would have never had gotten it done.**

**If you spotted the shameless wrestling reference you are entitled to a free internet cookie. And while you are eating that cookie, why not drop a review? =D**

**I just want to give a shout-out to three of my 'homies':**

**Nobel Six- Awesome writer, awesome dude and a personal friend, check him out!**

**Billy Maiden- A guy who is far more competent than me at writing. He is going to start his own fic soon, stick him on your Author Alert list and wait, I guarantee that you wont be disappointed.**

**Flashfire360- My Canuck buddy :P Re-booting his own series of fics and from what I can tell, they are going to be awesome. He gets the Fan Fiction Writer Seal of Approval. **

**NOTE: DUE TO MY BETA READER BEING HORRENDOUSLY BUSY WITH UNIVERSITY, THIS IS GOING UP UNEDITED. PLEASE EXCUSE THE HILARIOUSLY SLOPPY GRAMMAR.**


	6. Genesis

**AN:**

**I could begin to explain my absence but it would take far too long. Basically, life sucks, I have exams starting soon and I won't update until late May. But never fear, I have a THREE month summer holiday, I'll do my best to make up for lost time!**

**Also, if it seems that Ash isn't highlighted in this chapter don't be a douche and flame me for it. This chapter focuses somewhat on Josh and the introduction of a reviewer's OC. Don't worry, you Pearlshippers out there will like the next chapter :3**

**Also this chapter gets a little political at the end. From here, a sub-plot will be developed so pay attention even if you aren't interested in political concepts.**

Chapter 6: Genesis

_"Fantastic, fan-bloody-tastic... I always seem to find new ways to muck up…!"_,Chris inwardly sighed for seemly the millionth time in the space of a few hours, the tall teen anxiously ran his large, bear-like paws through his thick, blonde hair. _"I meet new people and scare 'em off with either my uncontrollable rage or some sort of melodrama!"_, The tall teen was stormily stomping his way up the stairs to his apartment, each stomp noisily echoed around the seemingly abandoned stairwell. _"And why didn't I take the freaking lift…!?"_

Chris had swung between a state of overwhelming anger and somewhat self-indulged sorrow for the past few hours since his quick elimination from the Battle Royale. Originally, Chris moped about the celebration for a few hours, walking block-to-block aimlessly, with only his immense hunger and desire for a long night's sleep driving him back to his apartment.

_"Ok buddy, calm the heck down. You don't want to cause a scene"_,the teen reminded himself as he exited the stairwell and began the solemn walk up to his apartment door. _"Three...two...one and... I'm calm.." _He began to search the inside of his trouser pockets in search of his key, realizing wistfully why he couldn't find it. "Of course, I gave it Josh"he promptly sighed. Chris proceeded to knock the door three times with a swift rapping motion from his large, Neanderthal-like knuckles.

"Ah there you are you big eejit!", Josh warmly welcomed in his best mock-impression of his older brother's heavy drawl as he opened the door.

"Yes, it is I", the older Moore brother replied neutrally, tolerating his brother's banter.

"You may enter!", Josh then replied with a smirk, as he moved out of the door frame for his brother to enter. Chris was then suddenly greeted with the sight of Ash, Dawn and Brock seated on the sofa watching one of the official PWL broadcasts.

"Hey y'all…" ,Chris sheepishly drawled, earning the attention of the three trainers who looked up from the sofa.

"Oh, hey Chris!", Dawn warmly welcomed with her signature warm smile.

"Hey-" ,Chris quickly said behind a nervous smile as he began his explanation. "Look, guys, I'm sorry for my, eh... performance back there. As you have probably guessed I don't take defeats well... so uh, I just want to apologize for my response... it won't happen again, I swear!", the teen barely managed to splutter.

"It's my fault I suppose, I did eliminate you after all",Ash replied looking directly into Chris' eyes as an accepting smile crept onto the large youth's nodding face.

"No bother mate... nothing to apologize for, it was my fault for not paying attention. You played me like a pro and you deserve that Master Ball", As Chris finished though, his smile came to the forefront as Ash noted a spark of life return to the boy's eyes. "Of course, fully expect the favour to be repaid if we battle again…!".

"It'd be my pleasure Chris!", Ash proclaimed, staring into Chris' eyes with his trademark confident smirk. As the two continued for another few seconds, suddenly a song with an amazingly smooth saxophone solo blared throughout the living room. Sputtering, the moment came to a crashing end as Chris turned to the source of his music system with an evil glare.

"Hey guys, what about dinner?", Josh suddenly interrupted as he emerged from seemingly nowhere with a flyer from a local pizzeria in his hand. "I'm thinking pizza!", He was about to say more when he realized the enormous amount of tension being directed in his general area and looked to Chris, who was staring down the music system that was currently playing.

"I'm down with that, order me a Large Meat Feast, I'm starved-", Chris quickly replied, not once breaking eye contact as Josh was turning red in order to stifle the ridiculous urge to laugh.

"One large pizza for the lump...", Josh shakily said as he wrote the order down on the back of the flyer.

"I have no clue what's happening with Chris but…I'll have what he's having!", Ash cheerfully cried out, as Dawn and Brock yelled out their respective orders of pepperoni and seafood.

"-hehe, huh? Oh, uh…noted...", Josh nodded awkwardly, still writing down the orders as the music was finally shut off.

"I'll get it, it's the least I can do after my earlier performance". Chris declared, snatching the flyer from his younger brother's hand and heading for the door.

"Make sure you get me a BBQ Chicken one!", Josh shouted, remembering that he forgot to write his own order down while trying not to bust out laughing.

"What!" ,Chris replied, pretending he didn't hear his younger brother as he opened the door to leave. "I didn't hear you, so I'll just get you a Junior Meal!" he continued much to his younger brother's chagrin.

"Douchebag..." Josh muttered under his breath.

It took Chris about 45 minutes to return from his run out to get dinner for the gang, of which upon his return was eaten with haste and fervor. The group of combatants spent the rest of the night watching television and talking about their future aspirations, which naturally spiraled into a massive 'I'm better than you!' contest between Ash, Chris and Josh while Brock and Dawn sat by, shaking their heads in accepted exasperation. It was then mutually decided that it was in everyone's interest to have an early night and a long sleep in preparation for the next day which included Josh and Dawn's first group stage battles.

The following morning, the gang were roused by a stirring rendition of 'Glory, Glory Man United' courtesy of Chris. The gang hastily ate breakfast before leaving the apartment to travel to Stadium 11 for Josh's morning battle. Plans afterward were on going straight to Stadium 13 for Dawn's afternoon battle, so the group was somewhat prepared for the predictable.

* * *

><p>It was largely an uneventful walk to the stadium for the gang. Ash, Dawn and Brock were tasked with finding appropriate viewpoints within the 30,000-capacity stadium, while Chris went with Josh to the locker-room for a last minute strategy talk.<p>

"Now remember little buddy!", Chris grandly stated in a somewhat patronizing tone. "Strike first and strike hard!"

"Ah, the good ol' pre-match pep talk from my 'brilliant' older brother", Josh sarcastically muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, when you win not only the Sinnoh League but its Battle Frontier, one must at least know what they're talking about!", Chris proudly claimed with a self-assuring grin.

"Whatever, I'm bored of you now",Josh snidely remarked to annoy his older brother as he made his way out. "I'm going to wait in the preparation area" the younger Moore brother finalized with as he moved closer to the door.

"Josh". Chris said very sternly, causing his brother to stop, shoulders collapsing in his now-miffed state.

"What now?", Josh moaned turning fully to gauge his brother's serious expression.

"This guy who you are battling…remember? He previously won the Hoenn League, so be careful! He'll be a tough out and most of all, don't underestimate him", Chris stated with a fatherly tone directed at his brother. "I have full faith in you! You can do this!"

"Hm…thanks bro…", Josh finally answered, his small smile contradicting his shrugging shoulders in his failed attempt at indifference. As he opened the door, he heard Chris shout out just as the door was starting to close, his determination flooding through him mightily at the uttering of those words.

"Go out there and make the Moore family proud!"

* * *

><p>Upon the conclusion of his talk with Josh, Chris managed to rendezvous with Ash, Brock and Dawn in the stands in the stadium.<p>

"I got everyone some snacks!", Chris shouted loudly over the background noise of the crowd. The tall teen awkwardly passed through a narrow row of seats en route to his friends, due to his abnormal size in the eyes of many people in the stands. It came as no surprise that he managed to accidentally stand on the toes of other members of the crowd.

"What did you get?", Ash practically bellowed with an enthusiastic smile, more so because of the angry cries of the casualties being too loud for normal decibels.

"Nachos! Lots n' lots of nachos!", Chris replied as he handed Ash a plate of the salty concoction topped with sour cream, ground beef, and tangy cheese.

"Thanks Chris, I appreciate it!", Ash yelled as he offered a tortilla chip to Pikachu who was perched on his shoulder. The small electric-typed rodent let out an appreciative squeak and immediately started to eat its treat.

"Oh yeah, there's more!", Chris loudly declared as he pulled numerous packets of sweets out of his pockets which seemingly had limitless storage space. "And of course, the main event... Diet Coke!", he enthusiastically continued as his unscrewed the cap off of the bottle of artificially sweet perfection. The teen drank half of the bottle in one gulp and subsequently let out an appreciative burp. "Gosh, I love life's simple things."

* * *

><p><em>"This match is the first matchup of Group III to be contested today. And it promises to be the best yet!"<em>, Mitchell Coleson, the self-proclaimed 'Voice of the PWL', declared via the stadium's Public Announcement system.

_"I couldn't agree more Mitchell"_, Gerry McLawson. Mitchell's broadcast partner replied. _"I'm getting word that the start of the battle is imminent; let's turn our attention to the battlefield!"_

_"This match is a three-on-three battle, with substitutions allowed. The winner is the trainer who eliminates the opposing trainer's three selected Pokemon"_, the referee droned once again explaining the rules of the matches in the group stage of the tournament. _"This match is scheduled to take place on a neutral turf surface"_, he then stated.

_"Introducing first, from Mauville City in the Hoenn region. He is a former Hoenn League Champion, please welcome Tyson King to the field!",_ Mitchell exclaimed. A black haired teenager of a fair, white complexion stepped out into the field. Tyson wore an outfit that consisted of a black undershirt which was worn underneath a deep, navy blue jacket that featured lines of yellow along the ridge of the colour of his jacket. The teen also wore a pair of black cargo pants that easily complemented a pair of black and white sneakers. Due to his somewhat-celebrity status as a former league champion, Tyson received a loud and positive response from the crowd, with numerous fans holding up signs while chanting his name.

_"And his opponent, hailing from Sandgem Town in the Sinnoh region. Joshua Moore !"_, Gerry somewhat flatly stated as he introduced Tyson's less famous opponent. Josh arrived on the battlefield to a somewhat muted reaction, but still raised his right arm in defiance, confidently showing the crowd that he didn't particularly care for their lukewarm response to his arrival. Josh met his opponent on the middle of the field, as the two trainers gave each other a respectful handshake.

"This isn't the Hoenn League, friend…don't expect this to be a walk!", Josh warned with a friendly yet serious face and vocal tone.

"I wouldn't even dare to think that. I expect my opponents to seriously challenge my abilities!", Tyson responded with a light chuckle.

"Good!", Josh simply replied. The younger Moore brother walked over to his trainer box on his side of the field while Tyson did the same on his respective side.

_"Are we clear on the rules?"_, the referee asked with a somewhat bored tone.

"Yes." the two trainers immediately stated.

"Very well, send out your first Pokémon!", the referee declared raising his pair of red and green flags into the air.

"Shiftry, let's do this!" ,Tyson cried as his lobbed a red and white sphere, otherwise known as a Pokeball into the air which in turn released the Grass and Dark typed Wicked Pokemon onto the field. The vindictive look in its eyes directed towards Josh and it let out a sinister sneer, tensing itself for an offensive jumpstart. However, what it, along with Tyson, didn't quite see was that Josh noticed it…and changed his hand position from another Pokeball on his belt.

_"Strike first and strike hard!"_, Josh inwardly thought as he recalled his older brother's advice. "Mehirut, attack formation!" Josh yelled as he lobbed his own Pokeball into the air which in turn released a sleek and pristine-looking Swellow. The Swallow Pokemon let out a bellowing battle cry and looked with malicious intent towards its opponent.

_"Let the battle begin!"_, the referee declared with an authoritative shout as he dropped his arms down to his sides in a swift motion.

"Use Aerial Ace!". Josh swiftly ordered obviously taking Chris' advice into account. His Swellow promptly took to the air and streaked across the battlefield at the speed of a propelled bullet. An aura of white coloured energy formed around the speeding body of Josh's Pokemon indicating that it was ready to critically attack its foe.

"Detect", Tyson coolly retorted. His Shiftry immediately executed its master's orders and used its considerable power to not only stop the winged bullet but to divert its attack upwards, negating any damage.

"Arch around and swoop in again!", Josh bellowed, his Pokemon all too eagerly following the command as it made like a fighter jet, turning into an unavoidable dive with incredible momentum directed toward Shiftry.

"…not completely unavoidable, Shiftry! Dig, and go underground!", Tyson stated as a matter-of-fact with a confident smile etched across his face as his leadoff Pokémon punched through the odd turf and scurried underground with haste. As Swellow screamed by overhead, the Champion made his first offensive move "Come up and fire a Swift attack!", Tyson called, his Pokemon quickly responding by firing the unavoidable attack guerilla-style with its head barely out of the hole.

"Evade!", Josh cried in sheer desperation. Fortunately for the young blonde haired teenager, his Swellow used its extremely impressive speed to almost effortlessly avoid most of the attack.

_"Whoa!"_, Gerry exclaimed through the stadium's internal public announcement system. _"That is seriously one helluva fast Swellow!"_, he continued commenting on the Pokemon's seemingly unrivaled speed. However, now that speed would be tested, as the star-struck attack Shiftry sent out also could not miss, it had to hit.

"Ok Mehirut, let's show 'em how to really use attacks like that! Quick Attack right at Shiftry!", Josh ordered with a dash of over-confidence dripping from his vocal tone. Swellow's body started to glow a bright white colour as it prepared to swoop in from the air and strike its foe.

"Bullet Seed attack!", Tyson loudly, but coolly responded. Tyson's Grass/Dark Pokemon formed a large amount of small, light green coloured pellets within its mouth. The nefarious and sinister looking creature proceeded to spit out the pellets at an alarming speed and velocity in the direction of Josh's Pokemon which was soaring through the air towards the Shiftry. Although Shiftry's Bullet Seed attack wasn't particularly accurate, the sheer volume of the energized pellets would hit the incoming Swallow Pokémon, who wasn't even attempting to dodge in its pressured state of racing the multiple stars of a still-lingering Swift attack. Unfortunately for Josh and his Pokemon, a moderate number of the fired seeds struck Swellow mid-flight, albeit causing minimal damage to the still-closing Flying type. As it scored a direct hit on Shiftry, the Swift attack connected, causing the ballsy bird to squeak at the damage before retreating back to its side of the field for a quick breather.

"Great job, now shake it off!", Josh cried gesturing with his hands in a wild and unorganized fashion.

"Not so fast! Now we strike with a Dark Pulse!", Tyson called. For the second time in the match, Shiftry formed a midnight black orb of purely sinister energy in between its branched limbs. Striving to take full advantage of Swellow's predicament, Shiftry swiftly and violently fired the orb in the direction of the dazed and groggy Swellow which was an easy target in the air. The Dark-type attack struck it in its torso, the force of the attack temporarily robbing Swellow of its power of flight as it plummeted back down to the battlefield and hit the floor of the lifeless field with a sickening thud. A few instinctive twitches of Swellow's muscles indicated that it had suffered a debilitating hit.

_"Ouch! What a hit!"_, Gerry exclaimed with a small tinge of concern for the fallen Pokemon.

"Mehirut!", Josh cried out in desperation, the teenager's face contorted from one from self-assured confidence into one of deep concern. Josh's Pokemon slowly picked itself off from the ground and once again took flight, albeit a bit more gingerly. Nonetheless, it let out a shrieking battle cry that betrayed its current condition. Josh not only breathed a sigh of relief but pumped his fists as his faith in his Pokémon became reassured. "That's the spirit! Let's do this!".

"I admire your grit!", Tyson chuckled. "It seems like it's time we shift into top gear! Shiftry, use Razor Leaf!"

"Stop him with a Steel Wing!", Josh called. The airborne Pokemon squinted in concentration as its wings took on a silver hue that shined like a sunrise. Flying up high and shielding the wings in front of it, Josh's Swellow successfully blocked the popularly potent attack before breaking the last of the attack and diving down to deliver a critical shot to the stunned Shiftry.

_"Whoa! Now that was impressive!"_, Mitchell exclaimed as he observed Mehirut's impressive feat from his commentary box.

"That's what I'm talking about!", Josh declared as he triumphantly fist-pumped. "Let's follow up with an Aerial Ace!" In response to his trainer's orders, the Swallow Pokemon once again sped towards its foe at an alarming and impressive speed; Swellow looked intent on following up with serious amounts of damage in vengeance for its earlier injury.

"Energy Ball!", Tyson cried, desperate to counter Josh's order with a powerful attack. As an orb of vibrant emerald energy formed in between its leafy protrusions, Shiftry let out a grunt as it let loose on one of its most powerful attacks.

"Dodge, and bring down a Wing Attack!", Josh yelled with the intent of finishing this portion of the match. Mehirut, once again utilizing its agility to avoid the oncoming attack, started with a series of mid-air barrel rolls. Suddenly, a blue aura formed around the entire body of the Flying-type Pokemon, the energy around the body of the Pokemon started to crackle which signified that the Pokemon's newfound power was highly unstable, if yet unknown as well. Josh looked on in shock as his Pokémon used a newly-learned Brave Bird attack to score a direct hit on the already-winded Shiftry. As Swellow became blown back from the recoil of its attack, Shiftry was blown back just as far, but knocked out cold before it even hit the ground due to the super-effective connection. A collective gasp sounded throughout the stadium as the referee raised his flag.

_"Shiftry is unable to battle! Swellow is the winner!"_, the referee declared. Unfortunately for Josh, Swellow suffered major recoil damage from its highly powerful attack. A combination of this recoil damage and the previous damage it received sapped the Swellow of the last of its energy reserves. The Pokemon fell from the sky due to sheer exhaustion, much to Josh's horror. _"Swellow is unable to battle!"_,the referee suddenly stated, _"Trainers, send out your next Pokemon"_.

_"We know now where that Swellow's weakness resided. Still, to take down the Champion's Shiftry, even with type advantage, is absolutely remarkable!"_, Mitchell claimed, as both trainers quickly recalled their Pokemon back to their respective Pokeballs.

"I guess it is time for round two!", Tyson simply stated with a small smile, "Donphan, let's do this!", Tyson then declared as he released his elephant-like gray coloured and armor-plated Pokemon onto the field. Upon appearing on the field, the Armor Pokemon proceeded to stomp its feet into the battlefield floor which made the level field ripple with small shockwaves.

"Interesting…" Josh mused, enlarging the Pokeball with a patented water drop on the front. "Poseidon, battle formation!", Josh released his own Pokemon onto the battlefield, a large, bulky, bi-pedal reptilian Pokemon that was mainly light blue in colour. The Feraligatr erupted into a deafening roar in an attempt to intimidate its foe.

_"Begin!"_, the referee once again declared.

_"Rollout!"_, Tyson quickly called, as his ground-type Pokemon curled itself up into a tight, near-perfect ball. The Donphan quickly rolled across the field with the intent to steamroll over its foe.

_"Water Gun its path!"_, Josh countered with a mischievous smirk. His Pokemon responded by firing a jet of high-pressure water from its muzzle, continually soaking the trajectory of Donphan's path. As many looked on in bewilderment and no small part of confusion, Josh simply smirked. Tyson looked on, slightly perplexed. With Donphan's attack getting continually stronger, Feraligatr's Water Gun was only hindering an even more powerful attack! He gasped in shock however, when he saw his Pokémon's rolling form start to rise from the ground, hydroplaning on the surface of the oral jet of water.

"Donphan, stop, it's a tra-", he started, but was cut off as Josh gave his command.

"No pun intended, but…throw it up!", the youth yelled, earning a few disgusted sounds from the audience, along with looks of shock and one little voice in the crowd going 'that's terrible!' while laughing and choking on his ham sandwich. The situation for Tyson and Donphan however, wasn't one to be laughed about as the Armour Pokémon saw itself flying into the air on a jet of water that was now doing serious damage to its underside from the negated Rollout. As it reached its peak and started to come down, Tyson got an idea in the heat of the moment.

"Dive down, Donphan! Extend your trunk out!", he shouted, earning looks of shock from just about everyone present. As Feraligatr was recovering from such an elongated take of the Water Gun, Donphan was within range. The crowd went into silence as the next words were screamed from Tyson's very essence."Hyper Beam!".

As the attack, a blinding white light filled with enough power to light a small city erupted from Donphan's trunk, Josh paled considerably. "There's no way to…" suddenly he started as he realized the field hadn't changed since the last battle,the hole that Shiftry had dug was still there, and his Feraligatr was mere meters from unconventional safety. "Poseidon! Make a break for the hole!".

"Sweep it from left to right!", Tyson cried, as his Pokémon's blast trajectory moved mere inches away from the slowly retreating Feraligatr, who was attempting to maneuver itself over to the hole. However, the beam caught the cerulean reptilian and, in a great flash, the battle had taken a turn. A huge explosion rocked the stadium, sending Feraligatr flying toward Josh's booth while Tyson's Donphan stood on the ground, panting heavily at both the damage taken and the energy exerted.

_"Incredible!It seems that Tyson's original purpose was to have Donphan use its only special attack in order to stop it from crashing down to earth, and used it to inflict absolutely devastating damage to Josh's Feraligatr!"_, Mitchell bellowed out, having an obvious effect as the crowd turned to Tyson in a renewed light.

* * *

><p>"Damn…not much to do against that", Chris declared with a grim nod. "He may be using that superior Moore brain of his…but Tyson didn't get where he is on merit and type advantages".<p>

"Reminds me of Drake…" Ash responded, focusing the bulk of his attention to the battle at hand, while Pikachu gave a 'chu' in acknowledgement. "He's gotta' bounce back from this…Elites and Champions aren't the type of people to joke around with. Not too many come around often".

"Of course he will, the boy learnt from the best after..." Chris started to say before he was interrupted by the text message alert from his phone. "Hang on, I need to see to this…" he grunted as his pulled an expensive looking smartphone from his pocket. The teen then proceeded to read the message.

_Chris,_

_Meet me at Donny's Diner. 52nd Street. Be there ASAP._

_"It's addressed from Renn"_. Chris internally thought,_ "…must be important"_. "Hey guys, I gotta' fly.." Chris suddenly declared.

"Why?", Dawn abruptly stated, immediately diverting her attention away from the battle.

"An old friend wants to meet up.", Chris quickly replied. His voice took on a reassuring note, though heavily laced with nervousness. "I should be back for your battle though, Dawn. W-wouldn't wanna' miss that..hehe".

"That's good!", Dawn beamed in response with her usual, warm, embracing smile before she returned her attention to the battlefield.

"Send Josh my regards; he'll be sore as hell about this anyway...on second thoughts, I'll fire him a quick text…" Chris drawled on, stumbling into an internal monologue more and more. "…anyway, see you guys in a bit", he finished before leaving the seating row, much to the ire of the people who were still nursing their shattered feet. As the unintentional carnage ensued, Chris shrunk into himself as he made his way out of the stadium. _"Dammit Renn, this better be pretty freaking important..!"_.

* * *

><p>Back on the battlefield, Josh's Feraligatr had finally gotten up from the brutal Hyper Beam from Tyson's Donphan. While it took significant damage, Tyson had seemed to show mercy by not commanding Donphan to do anything upon recovering its energy. Both had sustained varying degrees of damage due to the absolute punishment inflicted by their foe, and while Josh had managed to previously counter Tyson's attempt to use Rollout, Donphan's emergency maneuver had proved to be too much and it had inflicted a direct hit on the slower reptilian Pokemon. However, Feraligatr proved to be a superior physical specimen in regards to its natural defense and unrivaled stamina, at least in this match. Getting up from what is in all accounts a finishing move is what all Pokémon trainers pray for should the situation arise.<p>

_"This is a battle of endurance! Now we will see just how much more these two powerhouses can take!"_, Mitchell announced with awed mirth.

"Poseidon, let's flood 'em! Ride the wave!", Josh cried with a somewhat corny fist pump. A deep blue energy resonated from within Feraligatr as a makeshift wave appeared from the orifices of its mouth and on its hands and feet. The powerful Surf attack made its way over when Tyson decided a bit of déjà vu was in order.

"Donphan, Rollout!", Tyson coolly countered, with a calm and stoic facial expression emerging across his face. It could be perceived by some that he looked as though he was about to take the advantage in the match. His Donphan quickly curled itself into a ball. As the wave neared, Tyson called out once more.

"Rev in place!", Tyson simply stated, as Donphan's spinning exterior started kicking up water on the flat and still-slippery surface of the drenched battlefield. As the wave overcame the still-spinning Pokémon, Tyson yelled out without any sign of swagger in his voice. "Charge forward with Rollout!".

Josh, who still didn't know what was going on beneath the wave that Feraligatr conjured up, but was suddenly greeted with a large spatter in the wake of a speeding armoured bullet that slammed the stunned reptilian Pokémon before it could put up its hands in defense. Finally snapping himself out of his stupor, Josh saw a chance. "Poseidon, knock it away with Ice Punch!". As soon as the words were uttered, ice crystals formed around the incoming left hook of Feraligatr, as both Donphan's rotation and trajectory were halted and blown off to the side by the powerful Pokémon.

"Stand back up and use Iron Defense before it charges you again!", Tyson cried, as Donphan tensed up and was overcome by a grey hue that accented his dark exterior until it looked somewhat shiny. As Feraligatr charged, the command of Josh not heard by Tyson, he simply ordered Donphan to stand firm and take whatever was dished his way.

_"Let's not forget that the power of your average Feraligatr trumps the offensive capabilities of most Ground typed Pokémon…but almost none can match their defenses. This next attack should be interesting to watch; defense vs. power!"_. Gerry observed, the crowd moving with his words as the battle raged onward.

"Headbutt!", Tyson called, his face remaining in its somewhat calm state as another one of Feraligatr's ice-covered fists came within a mere meter before Donphan ducked below the long reach and proceeded to strike the abdomen of the reptilian Pokemon. Tyson looked at the position and smirked at his fortune. However, he saw something on Feraligatr that startled him greatly. "Watch out Donph-"

"Uppercut it with Aqua Tail!", Josh called in, as just about everyone in the stadium gasped. The very next moment was seen with Donphan flying into the air once again as Feraligatr awkwardly somersaulted backward from the force of its attack.

"No! Donphan!". Tyson called out, knowing exactly what was about to happen. As the Pokémon slammed the ground with a thump that kicked up some lingering water on the field, the metaphorical swirls in its eyes indicated a grim sign for the former Champion.

_"Donphan is unable to battle! Feraligatr is the winner!"_, the referee promptly declared.

* * *

><p>"I wonder how Josh is getting on…" Chris muttered to himself, as the elder Moore brother found himself alone walking down a street towards the diner that Renn had requested to meet him in. The street would usually be populated with trainer and spectator alike, but the street was largely deserted due to the fact that most people had traveled to the stadiums to watch the numerous battles. Chris pulled out his smartphone and opened up the official PWL app, quickly locating the sub-section that gave out live text commentary of the ongoing battles of the day. After a brief search, Chris found Josh's battle and a small grin appeared across his face. "So the wee man is doing pretty well for himself. According to this he's just beat Tyson's second Pokemon. Not bad at all I say!" he once again muttered speaking to himself. By the time Chris had ended his self-conversation, he found himself at the place that Renn had told him to meet to him at. Donny's Diner from first perceptions seemed to be the stereotypical 1950's-era diner with large windows and tables in seating booths and, from what Chris could see, the diner was almost void of customers and staff alike. Chris walked into the restaurant with an amused look etched across his face.<p>

"Hey Chris!" a voice called over. "Over here!".

"I know that voice..!" Chris grinned before turning around to identify the source of the voice, coming from the smiling face looking in his general direction. "It's my old pal, Renn Silver, if it wasn't painfully obvious already!". Chris looked towards the figure seated by himself at a booth table enjoying some fresh chocolate milkshake. Despite being seated, it was clear that Renn was approximately six foot tall with a toned body build that complimented his slight tan that somewhat contrasted with Chris' more pale skin tone. Renn's hair was silver in colour which emitted an air of maturity and sophistication despite only being seventeen years old. However, the hairstyle brought back some of that youth, as it was gelled and spiked at the fringe. His clothes somewhat reflected his seemingly simple and friendly personality, as he sported a black cotton t-shirt and a pair of faded black jeans.

"How are you, buddy?". Renn cheerfully greeted with a warm smile that exhibited his perfectly straight, pearly white teeth.

"Not bad", Chris simply replied as he eased his massive frame into the seat opposite from Renn.

"Hang on..." Renn started with a mischievous grin. "Watch this!", As he then clicked his fingers, instantly appearing was a waitress from behind the kitchen area carrying a large mug, as she carefully placed the mug in front of Chris and retreated back into the kitchen.

"Tea…" Chris observed with a smile. "No sugar, a lot of milk I presume?"

"Just the way you like it!", Renn responded with a chuckle.

"How the hell did you do that?". Chris gestured with his left hand to the kitchen in between sipping his tea, finally showing his muted attempt at shock and interest.

"Magic", Renn simply responded, as the teen slouched back into his seat and interlocked his hands behind his head and yawned. "You're probably wondering why I called you here today".

"Naturally. I was watching Josh's battle, and you kinda' threw a spanner in the works in my plans for today". Chris snorted, to which Renn replied collectively.

"Don't worry, this shouldn't take long.."

* * *

><p><em>"Whoa what a battle! Talk about a match of endurance; this turned into a match of sneak attacks and strategic surprises!"<em>, Mitchell reported, as the crowd finally simmered down from its previously elated atmosphere.

_"Trainer, call out your next Pokémon!"_, the referee droned out while looking toward Tyson. A Pokeball with a leaf insignia enlarged into the hands of the former champion.

"Sceptile, let's do this!", he called out as the powerful Grass typed starter emerged, emitting its battle cry somewhat indifferently. Right as Josh was about to call out Feraligatr's move, he saw Sceptile behind his Pokémon only moments before his attack left his mouth, the blades on its forearms blazing the all-too-familiar green color. As the attack connected with devastating finality on Feraligatr's blind side, the Pokémon fell to the ground completely out of it.

"Feraligatr is unable to battle! Sceptile is the winner!", the referee exclaimed, shocked himself at the closing speed of Tyson's starter. Josh's mouth dropped open in abject shock at what just occurred.

"H-how-…just…what?!", he exclaimed, right as the Sceptile returned to its side of the arena cricking its neck a bit before letting out a yawn with its back turned to the shocked trainer. Josh gritted his teeth at this unfortunate circumstance, knowing his last choice would have to be played with a sharp mind. Not bothering to call out his signature remark, he threw his last Pokeball.

"Cyclops, hit him with a Shadow Punch!" Josh ordered, as his Ghost typed Dusclops executed its trainer's orders almost immediately upon materialization. Using its potent energy, two 'phantom' fists materialized out of thin air which then sped towards the Sceptile.

"Meet it halfway and use Bullet Seed upon contact", Tyson calmly responded, as his Sceptile charged right into the unavoidable attack before letting loose thousands of pellet sized orbs of grass-type energy. Because of the attack hitting its stomach, the Bullet Seeds dramatically increased in speed upon inception and all found their mark. Small explosions rocked Dusclop's body as Tyson decided no mercy would be held this time around. "Hit him again!", he declared quickly, as another stream of pellet sized energy balls fired out of the mouth of the Pokemon in a manner that mimicked a machine gun. Once again the attack found its mark, albeit a tad less accurate, and caused even more damage to the Ghost typed Pokemon.

"C'mon, don't take that! Use Shadow Ball!", Josh bellowed, as a purple orb of the most horrible of ghost-typed energies formed in between the hands of Dusclops. As it fired the attack towards the opposing Sceptile at an almost unavoidable pace, Tyson could only turn away briefly as the Shadow Ball attack impacted against the body of his own Pokemon which sent it stumbling back. "Seize the initiative with a Fire Punch!", he said, as Dusclops' hands burst into flames. As the charging Pokémon neared, Tyson made his move.

"Detect!", he ordered, as his Sceptile avoided the oncoming punches at a supernatural pace. After the second punch was avoided, Sceptile found itself behind Dusclops for the briefest of moments. "Leaf Blade!" Tyson called out, seizing the opportunity as the leaf-like protrusions of Sceptile's forearms extended out and began to glow a distinct green colour. The Forest Pokemon then slashed the razor sharp protrusion across Josh's Dusclops which inflicted a great deal of damage. "Keep swingin'!", Tyson called, obviously wanting to finish off the battle before the Ghost type decided to make it ugly for them.

"Fade away!", Josh bellowed, as his Pokemon disappeared into its own shadow leaving Tyson's Sceptile to simply whiff at thin air. The Dusclops suddenly reappeared behind Tyson's Sceptile and brutally attacked with a Fire Punch from behind. As the blazing fists impacted directly on the back of the head of the Forest Pokémon, it was left to collapse to the ground in utter pain as a result of the super-effective attack. Surprisingly enough, the starter did not get back up, as the blow to the head left it immobilized and burned. The crowd gasped in shock at what happened, as Tyson flinched to the point of turning his head away. "Sure, it's fast…but only because its defense is sorely lacking…I rushed you and for that, I'm so sorry Sceptile…I deserve this one".

_"Sceptile is unable to battle! Dusclops is the winner! Therefore the winner of the match is Joshua Moore from Sandgem Town!"_,the referee declared, raising the flag in practiced neutrality. The titantrons around the arena burst into life and showed a graphic that confirmed Josh's victory before the graphic quickly gave way to a digitalized version of the group's table that depicted Josh as the leader of the group table with three points. The crowd was too stunned by this revelation to even clap, for a major upset had just occurred right in front of their eyes. As a few started rising from their chairs and clapped, soon the whole stadium slowly but surely started clapping before a few cheers were heard. It wasn't even close to raucous applause, but many acknowledged the rarity of such a victory against stark odds.

_"What an upset! Joshua Moore, a young trainer from Sandgem Town, Sinnoh has defeated a former Hoenn League Champion! This is what you can expect from a tournament like this!"_, Mitchell exclaimed. _"Let's not forget, this is still the opening round of matches. Anything could happen later in the tournament!"_.

Josh instantly ran into the field in the direction of his Pokemon and slid onto his knees in celebration. "Hell yes!" he bellowed, as he gave his winded Dusclops a high-five that hit nothing but air on the Ghost type before recalling it. Tyson could only recall his fallen starter, and after a brief moment of solitude in which he pondered his surprising loss he too made his own way onto the damp turf of the field.

"Well done Josh, you got me!", Tyson said rather warmly. "I thought I was going to get you with that Leaf Blade, but you caught me off-guard with that evasion". The teenager extended his hand in an offer of a handshake before continuing his acknowledgment. "Not only that, but you battled me hard the whole time. I admit that I let up earlier to make sure your Feraligatr could still go, but I made that mistake with rushing Sceptile and that's an apology I'm saving for it. You were steady and didn't let up, and for that you deserve this win".

"Nah, man. I was lucky just about this entire match. You had me on the ropes and I'm sure it could have been different on a different day". Josh stated as he heartily accepted the handshake, finding respect in the seemingly cocky former champion.

"Well, I hope we have a rematch one day if that's the case!" Tyson continued before walking off the battlefield. Josh was left to soak in the atmosphere from the crowd before he too left the field. Not a single spectator had left that stadium without feeling that maybe,just maybe,another upset was in the making in this surprisingly unpredictable tournament.

* * *

><p>"What I called you here for is actually pretty darn important you know..." Renn suddenly stated.<p>

"It better be!",Chris jokingly responded with a chuckle, more out of surprise at seeing Renn's face change so suddenly.

"Look-", Renn said with a rather serious tone as he rested his arms on the table. "The world is a very dangerous place, even still after...anyway, I have a proposition for you…"

"What kind of 'proposition'? My interest is piqued now, better make it worth-"

"The G-Men." Renn responded, cutting a now-surprised Chris off.

"Goddammit Renn", Chris seethed slamming his fists into the table, "what kind of crap did you get yourself into?".

"It's certainly not crap. It's darn serious". Renn replied somewhat hurt by Chris' negative reaction. "We have reason to believe that there is some sort of conspiracy that has reared its ugly head in governments of the world".

"So, you lost your mind? What the hell did you do after the Lily of the Valley conference? I went to challenge the Sinnoh Battle Frontier with Josh and you... well, you goddammed disappeared". Chris continued to seethe. "I care for you buddy,but you've caught yourself up with the wrong people".

"Hardly, I was approached by Lance himself, he's concerned. He has been investigating organised crime for years and has uncovered a conspiracy that runs right to the top of the government". Renn countered keeping his signature calm personality.

"You mean to tell me that people like Giovanni is part of a vast, inter-government conspiracy? He's interested in money and nothing else".

"That's the point", Renn stressed, "they all crave power...they have the power."

"Humor me, I'm interested. Who exactly are these people?". Chris sarcastically stated with a somewhat arrogant grin.

"It's a vast conspiracy ranging from the media, to the government. It' massive, we've been lied to, all of us".

"I have to say, Renn this sounds exactly like what you'd expect from those weird-ass conspiracy sites on the internet. I can't believe Lance has filled your head full of this crap. Everyone knows he founded the G-Men with the approval of the Pokemon League but this? This is too far. You are dreaming".

"We need to save this world Chris, its corrupt, the moral fabric of society is being eaten out by the power of the few who oppress the many. This is just the tip of the iceberg. False flag attacks, false wars, covert assassinations, I wish this was just fiction, but it's fact. We are being controlled by the elite. We need to stop it, we need to save humanity before its too late".

"Oh Renn", Chris chuckled, "So naive", he continued with a disapproving click of his tongue. "You really think you and your mates can save the world?", he once again chuckled, a small look of bewilderment appeared across Renn's face. "Tell me, why do you want this world to be saved? Huh? It's a cesspool, an absolute cesspool", Chris continued, his tone quickly shifting to one of complete seriousness. "Why anyone would want this world to be 'saved' is beyond me. Have you watched the news recently? There is a storm coming Renn, one that no-one will be able to stop", By now Chris' tone had changed to one of malice and contempt. "You see, people like me have been watching this world drown in its own waste. You know my background? Yes?", he suddenly asked, Renn could only reply with an uncomfortable nod. "I was born to a relatively wealthy upper-middle class family, one that devoted its blood sweat and tears to their fellow humans. My father was an officer in the army, and his father before him and even his father before him. After retiring from the army, he settled in Sinnoh and he joined the Sinnoh Police Force and quickly climbed the ranks to the absolute top. His reward?", Chris asked suddenly, it was clear that he was delighting in Renn's confusion. "Contempt, he was treated with utter contempt. Being branded as 'selfish', 'greedy and being grouped as a member of the 'One-percent' by the same filfth at the bottom of society that he risked his life to protect. These people are poison and should be eliminated, they are weak, we are strong. You know, not long ago we controlled the world! Not now, society fosters this sickening mercy for the weak, the 'fat trimmings' of society. The world does need changing Renn, not just in the way you envision". Renn was alone, lonely and solitary, standing alone against the irresistible tide of Chris' rant. Chris' tone suddenly returned to his warm, witty, friendly and 'usual' attitude. "You know, if this whole conspiracy does indeed unravel, I should be the leader. I'm intelligent and I'm exactly what the world needs. A healer, a reformer... a leader".Chris then sat back in his seat and dazed into the ceiling a smile suddenly formed across his largely shapeless face. However, in an instant he suddenly snapped back into reality, "I still think you are crazy dude".

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked", Renn weakly stated with a nervy tone. "I guess I should leave". The teen started to leave his seat before he was quickly yanked back down into it.

"Listen to me, I don't care what kind of crap you've found yourself in, or what you believe. The bottom line is, you are my friend, my best friend, my travelling buddy, we've been so much together. I personally don't believe in that whole 'shadow government' crap but the truth is, if anyone tries to pull anyone on me they are getting a nice punt to the skull from yours truly." Chris grinned. "Listen, I need to get back to my friends, you should really join with us".

"I can't, I better tell Lance you aren't interested in our offer. I'll catch up with you later".

However, neither of the two teenagers realised that their conversation was being listened to through the use of a secret bugging device that had been installed below their table. Two blocks away from the restaurant, a solitary unmarked black van pulled out of an abandoned alleyway.

"Tell command to put that kid, Renn Silver, on the blacklist. He's going to become problematic. We need to eliminate him". The driver of the van told his comrade who was sitting in the seat beside him typing a transcript of the eavesdropped conversation into a laptop, the two men were clothed in simple black suits.

"What about the other kid?", the other man as he continued to type the data into the laptop.

"According to command, he's not a threat. He'll be used as a pawn but the higher-ups refused to give anymore information. Apparently he'll be useful to the cause".

**AN: **

**So Chris is apparently very conservative, big surprise there, eh? :P**

**Big thank you for Billy Maiden for beta reading this chapter in the absense of Tendou Souji who is currently busy. Also, a thank you for Flashfire 360 is in order for his OC, Renn Silver, and for helping me with the chapter. Check out these two up-and-coming authors, I assure you, they have some awesome fics planned.**


	7. At the Dawn of Battle

**AN:**

**DISCLAIMER: Ash, Dawn, Brock and other characters and items represented in this fic relating to the Pokémon Franchise are the intellectual and copyrighted property of the Pokémon Company. My two OC's, Chris and Joshua Moore are my own creations. Gerry McLawson and Mitchell Coleson are shameless parodies of the famous WWE commentators. And I'm pretty sure the ever-so generic referee belongs in the public domain.**

**Ok, bad and good news for those who dislike the political sub-plot. The bad news first: this chapter features such advancement of the political sub-plot. However, the good news is that it will take a back-seat for other sub-plots including romance, and all that crap. *awaits the applause of the fan boys/girls***

… **wait… is anyone even reading this? Does anyone even read the ever-so-valuble author notes. Hmm, I can use this space for some subliminal advertising. *VOTEMARCORUBIO2016* *BUYCOKE* *REVIEWMYFIC***

Chapter 7: At the Dawn of Battle.

"President Winters sir", an aide stated as he approached a brooding figure overlooking a lush green lawn from a large, gothic style window. Richard Winters, the recently inaugurated President of the Kanto and Johto regions was certainly in a foul mood. Despite being the youngest ever elected President of the two joint regions, the Winter's administration had suffered a shaky start, rocked with allegations of corruption among his cabinet officials and a noted increase in criminal activity especially near the Sevii Islands where central government influence was ineffectual at best. Richard Winters was only 43 years old, however, his once jet black hair was now devastated by the appearance of gray hairs, despite this, he also retained a degree of youthfulness with a completely clean shaven appearance and a strong, chiseled face that was complemented by a pair of brilliant sapphire coloured eyes. Until the arrival of the aide, President Winters was alone in his private apartment in the official Presidential Summer Residence near Mount Silver in the Kanto/Johto border. As such, he was dressed appropriately for such an informal occasion; he wore a simple gray, zipped up tracksuit hoodie and a pair of simple black tracksuit bottoms. His selected attire reflected his rather down-to-earth attitude that epitomised his "man of the people" persona that had sky-rocketed him to the Presidency.

"To what do I owe the pleasure Charlie?", President Winter responded warmly, the imperial figure of the President turned away from the window and gazed into the eyes of a his young aide. A young, immaculately dressed man of African descent stared back, unlike the rather informal appearance of President Winters, Charlie was dressed in a black suit and tie piece.

"A report from General Sheppard", the aide replied as he handed the President a thick set of papers.

"Excellent, even more reading from the dear ol' general to keep me up into the small hours of the morning. I swear to God, that man is determined not to let me have a decent night of sleep", Winters sarcastically replied with a grin.

"Well sir, with all due respect, you picked him as your Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he's supposed to irritate you with endless military reports", the aide sheepishly replied.

"Yeah, and don't I regret it", the President grunted as he eased himself into a red leather chair that sat beside an expensive looking mahogany table. "Ah, it's the Pokémon Liberation Organisation", he once again grunted. "Can't those damned Marxists just leave me alone for one second? They are going to be the death of me. What was it once said about socialists? Something along the lines of; 'Socialists cry "Power to the people", and raise the clenched fist as they say it. We all know what they really mean—power over people, power to the State.'. Who said it again? Curse my awful memory; it still amazes me that people elected me into power ". He then joked before he continued to read the paper. "Massive weapon cache found near Route 25, increased abductions, and a raid on the day-care centre south of Cerulean City. Since when did my country fall into anarchy? Contact General Sheppard and tell him to get his ass up here as soon as possible".

"Yes sir", Charlie replied with a curt nod, the aide turned to leave the room before he was interrupted.

"Oh, and contact Lance as well, I have things to discuss with him".

* * *

><p>"I'm gonna be late!", Chris exclaimed with urgency as he ran through the lobby of Stadium 11 which frightening speed given his size. The teen then sprinted up a rather tall set of stairs and as he reached the top he instantly doubled over and started to breathe heavily. "That's it, a cardio session is clearly needed, it's been far too long", he panted. It took Chris a minute to fully recatch his breath; the teen then worked his way around the stadium until he found the seats which he had left his friends at. "Sup mah homies?", Chris asked poorly imitating what he perceived to be a ghetto dialect as he sat down on the seat at the end of the row.<p>

"You jackass!", Josh roared as he punched his brother in the arm in almost blind rage.

"Whoa!", Chris recoiled in surprise, "What the hell was that for?".

"You walked out halfway through my battle, I kicked serious ass out there and you didn't even seem to care! What happened to all of that advice you were lecturing me with beforehand!".

"Firstly", Chris responded with a swift retaliatory punch to Josh's own arm which drew a cry from his younger brother. "Secondly, Renn's in town and he wanted to meet up with me. And thirdly...", he continued, suddenly recognising that the three seats beside Josh's were empty. "Where are Ash, Dawn and Brock?".

"Well Captain Narcissism", Josh retorted with a sarcastic tone. "It's time for Dawn's battle, Ash and Brock went with Dawn to the locker rooms to offer moral support I guess. I elected to stay behind to extract some answers from you".

"Damn, I wanted to help Dawn. I want her to view me as Mr. Perfect I suppose", Chris stated with his signature egotistical grin which caused Josh to groan loudly in frustration.

"You really are a piece of work", Josh sighed. "Now, you mentioned Renn, what did he want?"

"Well, he tried his usual G-Men crap, as always", Chris said, with a sudden serious tone. "He wasn't himself though, as you know, he's usually a cold-hearted bastard, but he was inexplicably warm and friendly. It was bloody weird."

"You know Renn as well as I do, but don't take him too seriously, he's on the highway to middle aged senility".

* * *

><p>"So Dawn, you are battling Nando again, huh?", Ash asked. The trio of friends were standing in the same locker room that had previously been used by Josh only minutes beforehand, Dawn was seated on a bench in the middle of the room while both Ash and Brock stood relatively close to her, Ash's Pikachu and Dawn's Piplup were standing alone in the far corner of the room with Ash's Pokémon presumably mentoring his younger friend before the battle.<p>

"Yeah, I know I beat him at the Grand Festival, but this is a different ball-game. I don't know what to expect from him. He's both a trainer and a coordinator; he's used to occasions like this". Dawn responded with a somewhat uncomfortable tone.

"Dawn, it'll be fine. Just imagine that this is the Grand Festival, just go out there and do your stuff. We'll be in he stands cheering you on as always and I'm sure that Chris and Josh will be cheering too". Brock stated with his usual warm and friendly tone. "Come on Ash, we better get back to our seats now", he then said as he walked out of the locker room.

"Yeah Dawn!", Ash cheered, "we all believe in you!". Then, the raven haired trainer from Pallet Town called his Pikachu over who instantly returned to its trainer and returned to its usual perch on his trainer's shoulder. "I'll see you after the battle Dawn", he beamed, as he turned to leave the room.

"Ash, wait...", Dawn suddenly said softly. "Do you really think I can do this?"

"Of course you can Dawn", Ash warmly stated, "no need to worry!", he suddenly cheered and in doing so, he used Dawn's mantra.

"Really?"

"Yup!". The two friends then high-fived each other. The gesture had come to symbolise their friendship.

* * *

><p><em>"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the second Group Three match of the day between Dawn Berlitz of Twinleaf Town and Nando, a wandering minstrel from the Sinnoh Region!" <em>Mitchell exclaimed. From the right hand side of the stadium, Dawn emerged into the battlefield; she quickly adjusted her white beanie hat and straightened out her skirt before she took up her position in her trainer box. On the opposite side of the field, Nando emerged, he was wearing his usual minstrel attire that included his brown cape and fedora hat, the black haired trainer arrived strumming his golden Mew-shaped harp.

_"This is to be a three-on-three battle, substitutions are allowed and this battle will be fought on an ice battlefield"_, the referee quickly blurted. The astroturf field that had been used in the previous battle slowly descended below the ground through the use of a complicated system of underground lifts, and in turn a field covered in ice arose in its place.

"Ok Kricketune, let's go!", Nando called as he lobbed a Pokėball into the field, a three foot tall, red and black coloured cricket lookalike appeared in a bright, white flash.

"Cyndaquil, spotlight!", Dawn cried, she too lobbed her own Pokėball onto the field, which revealed a small mouse-like creature that had a cream coloured underbelly with a blue coloured back which had flames erupting from it.

_"Begin!"_, the referee declared with an authoritive tone.

"Ok Kricketune, let's start with a Fury Cutter!", Nando called. In response to its trainer's orders, the Kricket Pokémon's scythe-like extensions from both of its arms started to glow a deep, blood red colour, the Pokémon then charged across the icy battlefield towards its foe.

"Dodge and use Swift!", Dawn countered, her Cyndaquil easily evaded the incoming attack by rolling out of the way of the incoming Kricketune. Quickly regaining its composure, Dawn's Fire Mouse Pokémon quickly fired out numerous yellow, star shaped globs of energy that sped towards its foe. Due to the speed of the attack, the Kricketune was left defenseless and open to the incoming attack from Cyndaquil, the pointed and jagged edges of the Swift attack stuck into the body of the small bug-type Pokémon.

"Shake it off and use Bug Buzz!", Nando called as he attempted to kick start some momentum into the battle. A deafening, screeching siren noise was emitted from the black antennae from above the head of the Pokémon; a red wave of energy was also formed above the antennae. In a fashion similar to a musical conductor, the Kricketune used its scythes to direct the red energy waves towards its foe, the Bug Buzz attack surrounded Dawn's small Fire-type Pokémon, the red energy waves in conjunction with the almost nauseating siren sound caused a small degree of damage to the Pokémon but also greatly disorientated it, leaving it open to another attack. "Now use Fury Cutter!", once again, the scythe extensions from the arms of the Pokémon extended out and became engulfed in a deep red coloured energy, the Pokémon then slashed its scythes in a rhythmic and almost serene fashion that mimicked a conductor organising an orchestra. Several of the Kricketune's precise, surgical like slashes found its mark on Dawn's Cyndaquil with each blow that landed on the Pokémon inflicting more damage than the previous strike.

_"The actions of Nando's Pokémon are almost like a conductor with elegant movements. But then again, what else would you expect from a coordinator?". _Mitchell asked with a tone that was tinged with admiration for Nando's combination of coordination and battle skills.

"Let's keep the momentum up with a Silver Wind!". The Kricketune crossed its scythes over each other, in turn, the two scythes started to flash a very bright blue colour. Then, in a swift motion, the bug-type Pokémon extended its two scythes outwards which generated a silver coloured, crescent shaped wave of energy. The attack quickly found its mark, with each crescent shaped energy matter striking the small body of the Fire Mouse with remarkable accuracy.

"Use Flamethrower!", Dawn called, in response to its trainer's orders, the fire on the back on the small Fire Mouse Pokémon grew in intensity. Then in a rather spectacular sequence of events, a large torrent of fire burst forth from the small muzzle of Dawn's Cyndaquil. The Flamethrower attack then quickly made its way across the field with a high-speed velocity, the flames then struck its foe, and the flames licked around the small body of the bug-type Pokémon and heavily singed its skin which naturally caused a high degree of pain.

"Come on Kricketune, let's use another Fury Cutter!", Nando ordered with a tinge of desperation in his voice. The scythe extensions from the Pokémon's arms extended out and started to glow a deep, blood red colour. Kricketune barely managed to shake off the damage sustained by the previous Flamethrower attack and then sped off across the field with its scythes fully extended.

"Use Smokescreen!" Dawn hastily ordered, her Cyndaquil coughed and spluttered out a cloud of black smoke that completely obscured the small Pokémon from its foe's view.

"Don't let up, use your senses to identify the location of Cyndaquil", Nando calmly ordered. His Kricketune fearlessly charged into the billowing smoke with its scythes raised with intent to strike its opponent.

"Flamethrower, full power", Dawn responded with her own calm order to her Pokémon, it seemed that the sapphire haired Twinleaf Town native had a plan in action to gain momentum in the battle. From seemingly deep black smoke, a very large burst of flames erupted from the mouth of the small fire typed Pokémon. The bright orange colour of the flamethrower attack protruded through the thick smoke that enveloped the battle-field, this had the effect of creating a rather spectacular contrast of colours between the deep black smoke and the bright, brilliant flickering orange colour of the flamethrower attack.

_"What a sight! This is a perfect example of how a coordinator can combine their skills to both a display and an intense battle". _Mitchell exclaimed in a tone of absolute awe.

"Nice display Dawn, but that counts for nothing here! Kricketune, use X-Scissor!"

"Not so fast!" Dawn countered, Cyndaquil use Flamethrower!" Once again, deep within the cloud of billowing black smoke, the small Fire Mouse Pokémon fired a massive burst of flames out of its mouth. The power of the attack was seemingly increased by the torrent of fire already built up inside the cloud of the thick, tar-like smoke. As a result, the Flamethrower attack, with the increased attack power easily melted through the cloud of billowing smoke. The torrent of flames sped across the field, the flames then collided with the small body of the small bug-typed Kricketune, the flames licked around the body of the Pokémon inflicting serious damage due to the super-effective nature of the attack to the small Cricket Pokémon. Nando's Pokémon was clearly very seriously damaged by the attack, the damage was apparent through the several parts of its body that had been significantly singed by the Flamethrower attack.

_"Kricketune is unable to battle! Cyndaquil is the winner!" _the referee declared.

"Thank you, my friend". Nando softly whispered as he returned his fallen Pokémon to its Pokėball.

"That was awesome!" Dawn cheered with a fist pump into the air.

_"Cynda" _Dawn's small fire-typed Pokémon proudly replied with a soft squeak. The Pokémon's celebrations were then cut short by the abrupt appearance of a blinding, white light all over the body of the small Pokémon. Suddenly, the entire body of Dawn's Cyndaquil became engulfed by the mysterious aura, dramatic physical changes began to occur on the small body of the Pokémon. Cyndaquil's limbs and body grew significantly in size growing to at least twice of its previous length, furthermore, the previously permanently closed eyes of the infantile Pokémon opened to reveal a pair of rather deep and piercing eyes. _"Quilava!" _Dawn's newly evolved Pokémon triumphantly stated.

* * *

><p>"Whoa! An evolution! That's pretty darn cool", Josh stated with a smile. "No matter how many times I see it, it's always a sight to behold".<p>

"What's most surprising is that Dawn's Cyndaquil...er, well Quilava is still very young, it only hatched from its egg a few months ago. From a breeder's perspective, this is very intriguing. It can take more than a few months for a Pokémon to evolve; it can even take years in some cases". Brock responded with his usual sage-like insight.

"Dawn's the best! She's doing awesome down there!", Ash bellowed.

_"Pi, Pika!" _Ash's Pikachu cheered in agreement from its viewing point on his trainer's right shoulder.

"Amazing", Chris muttered as he hastily scribbled notes into his small black notebook that contained his ever trusty observations of battles and his own battle philosophy. "In-battle evolution is incredibly rare, and Brock's right, it is very unusual for such a young Pokémon to evolve so soon". The blonde haired teenager momentarily stopped his observation to take a quick gulp of his beloved Diet Coke, setting the bottle back below his seat, Chris continued to speak. "It's certainly the hall mark of a good trainer, Dawn is well... awesome", he continued nervously a red blush quickly appeared on his rather chubby cheeks. "However, evolution is an incorrect term in my opinion, it's more of a 'significant transformation", Chris then suddenly stated.

"Huh?", Ash asked utterly bewildered by Chris' statement.

"Oh come on, I'm a Baptist!", Chris responded with a chuckle.

* * *

><p>"Roserade, let's go!" Nando cried, a Pokémon that resembled a single rose that sported white hair and a green cape. At the tip of the Pokémon's two arm-like extensions, sat two distinctly coloured bouquets of flowers, red for its right hand and blue for its left.<p>

_"Begin!" _the referee declared.

"Roserade use Magical Leaf!" Nando swiftly and firmly ordered. It was clear that the male trainer was intent on gaining the initiative in the battle to make amends for going one Pokémon down in the battle at an early stage. Nando's Bouquet Pokémon eagerly responded to its trainer's orders by bringing its two coloured bouquets of flowers together which in turn released a hail of green coloured, razor sharp leaves that were coated in a mystical green coloured aura. The attack quickly sped across the field at an unrelenting pace; Dawn's Quilava was completely helpless to evade the attack and was thus struck by the razor leaves that painfully protruded into the skin of the newly evolved Pokémon.

"Hit back with Flame Wheel!", Dawn countered; the spots on the back of the Quilava erupted into an intense torrent of flames. Then the Volcano Pokémon contorted itself into a spherical object and propelled its body across the field at a very high speed with the intent to crash into the opposing Roserade.

"Evade and use Magical Leaf again!". Nando's Roserade used its agility to roll out of the way of the oncoming Quilava. Then, in a swift motion, another volley of the magically powered razor-sharp leaves fired out in the direction of Dawn's Quilava that was still recovering from its failed attempt to attack its foe.

"Burn them all with Flamethrower!" Dawn quickly called, the fire protruding from the back of the Fire-typed Pokémon erupted into a frenzied blaze, as a torrent of lava-hot fire fired out of the muzzle of the Pokémon. The Flamethrower attack travelled through the air and easily burnt the incoming Magical Leaf attack to a crisp. "Now use Quick Attack!", Dawn then hastily ordered. Her Quilava quickly charged across the battlefield, backed by a streaking white, coloured aura. Dawn's Quilava continued its lighting fast charge with unrelenting pace until it tackled head-on into the body of Nando's Bouquet Pokémon. The Grass-typed creature was left to stumble back in pain from the force of the bullet-like speed and impact of Quilava's Quick Attack.

"Hit back with Bullet Seed!" Nando cried, a volley of pellet-like green, Grass-typed powered seeds fired out of the mouth of Nando's Roserade. The seeds quickly travelled through the air and quickly impacted against the soft skin of its foe. Fortunately for the Volcano Pokémon, the attack did minimal damage due the weakness of the Grass-type attack to Quilava's Fire type classification. However, the attack succeeded in distracting Dawn and her Pokémon, this allowed Nando to implement the next stage of his battle plan. "Roserade, use Solarbeam!, Nando ordered with a somewhat calm tone. In the brief lull in the battle, the Bouquet Pokémon built up two separate beams of energy within its two bouquets.

"Hurry Quilava!", Dawn called in desperation, "Use Quick Attack!". Once again her Quilava darted across the field at a very fast pace.

"Now fire!". Roserade immediately responded to its trainer's ordered and fired the dual beam of the Solarbeam attack from its two bouquets that were at the end of the Pokémon's two arm-like extensions. The attack struck Dawn's Pokémon directly in its face due to its own attempt to launch an attack. Dawn's Quilava was sent flying through the air due to the blast which resulted from the Solarbeam attack, eventually, the Volcano Pokémon fell from the air and fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

"_Gosh! What a hit!" _Mitchell exclaimed.

"_Type advantage or not, Solarbeam is a powerful attack that inflicts major damage regardless of the conditions. Plus, the way Quilava hit the ground, the damage done by the attack may have been critical". _Gerry chimed in with his own expert opinion.

"Quilava!" Dawn called in her mother-like kind, caring, but rather desperate tone. Her Pokémon slowly raised itself to its feet, with a visible expression of utter pain etched in its face. Never-the-less, the Volcano Pokémon expressed its willingness to continue the battle by letting out a defiant roar. "Alright! Let's get some payback with a Flamethrower!" Dawn ordered with a refreshed sense of urgency. A fiery torrent of flames erupted out of the mouth of the Fire typed Pokémon.

"Dodge and sit back with Bullet Seed!" Nando coolly countered with a noticeably calm demeanor. His Pokémon managed to roll out of the way of the oncoming stream of flames. Then, in a swift, almost pre-prepared motion, the Bouquet Pokémon then proceeded to fire another volley of small projectile-like seeds in the direction of its foe. Unfortunately for Dawn and her Pokémon, Quilava failed to dodge the oncoming attack, and as a result, the attack once again impacted on the skin of the Volcano Pokémon, the Quilava was left to recoil in pain from the result of the attack.

"Come on Quilava, shake it off!"

"Not so fast!", Nando suddenly bellowed, "Roserade, let's finish this off with a Poison Jab!". The two bouquets of flowers at the end of the Pokémon's arms began to glow a sickly purple colour. The Grass typed, Bouquet Pokémon then thundered across the battlefield with the clear intent to finish off its foe.

"Come on Quilava!" Dawn called in a very desperate, and almost helpless tone, "try to evade!". However, despite Dawn's desperate plea, her Quilava was left completely helpless and unable to dodge the incoming attack; as a result, the Poison Jab attack struck the small body of the Pokémon numerous times as Nando's Roserade repeatedly jabbed with the poison-tipped bouquets at the end of its arms. Dawn's Volcano Pokémon was visibly seriously injured by the attack and was left to crumple to the ground.

"Quilava!" Dawn cried, obviously shaken by the extent of the damage suffered by her Pokémon, her Pokémon was still sprawled out on the ground of the battlefield, presumably completely rendered unable to battle. Suddenly, the flames sprouting from Quilava's back increased in intensity, furthermore, an orange aura bathed the Pokémon as it soon became apparent that the Volcano Pokémon's Blaze ability had activated. Dawn's Quilava then swiftly jumped to its feet and fired a beam of fire that was coloured in a bright white aura that was combined with an orange swirl that twisted along the beam of the attack. The attack then sped across the field at an unavoidable pace and struck Nando's Roserade head-on, upon impact with the Grass-typed Pokémon, the attack exploded and sent smoke billowing in to the air.

"_What an Overheat!"_, Mitchell exclaimed, _"Quilava may have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat!"_.

The cloud of smoke quickly dissipated to reveal that Quilava's Overheat attack had completely knocked Nando's Roserade out due to a combination of the super-effective nature of the attack and the fact that Quilava's Blaze ability had increased the power of the attack ten-fold.

"_Roserade is unable to battle! Quilava is the winner!", _the referee declared.

"Well done Roserade", Nando said softly as he returned his fallen Pokémon, "This is it! My final Pokémon!", Nando bellowed as he enlarged a new Pokėball in his hand which contained his third and final choice of Pokémon to compete in the battle. "Armaldo, let's go!", he then called as he lobbed the Pokėball into the air. The Pokėball then released a large, hulking bi-pedal amphibious Pokémon that resembled a mantis shrimp. The Pokémon was predominately blue in colour, furthermore, the body of the creature was covered by thick, heavy duty but naturally occurring protective plates.

"_Begin!"_

"Quick Armaldo, use Rock-Blast!". The Rock/Bug hybrid immediately executed its trainer's orders and formed a rock comprised of Rock-typed energy in between its two claws, then, in a swift motion, the Plate Pokémon fired the attack directly towards Dawn's Quilava. The attack quickly crossed the battlefield and struck Quilava's which resulted in a sickening thud as the rock impacted against Quilava's damaged and injured body. Dawn's Pokémon instantly collapsed to the ground, obviously completely overcome by the extent of the damage that it received throughout the battle.

"_Quilava is unable to battle Armaldo is the winner!" _the referee declared.

"Ok Quilava return", Dawn said softly as she returned her fallen Volcano Pokémon back into its Pokėball, "you were awesome".

"_What a performance by Dawn's Quilava! By taking down two of Nando's Pokémon before eventually being defeated, that Pokémon has single-handedly given its trainer the clear advantage in this match-up"_, Mitchell said almost purposefully re-capping the events of the battles.

"Buneary, spotlight!", Dawn called as she released a small furry, mammalian creature with two long, floppy ears. Its body was covered in chocolate coloured fur with its lower parts of its body covered in a tan coloured fleece.

"_And begin!"_

* * *

><p>Due to the ongoing battles in the tournament, the streets of Celebration City were all but deserted save for a few street vendors waiting at their stalls in preparation for the eventual resumption of the usually busy street life after the conclusion of the battles. A solitary trainer slowly walked down the street, the overall demeanor of the trainer implied that the figure was deep in thought. The trainer in question sported gray hair that ran to the bottom of his neck. Furthermore, the male trainer wore a blue sports jacket that had black coloured sleeves; this was complemented by a pair of gray tracksuit bottoms and blue and black trainers.<p>

"_Another satisfactory training session, my Pokémon are working as hard as ever, and for that… I am grateful", _the trainer internally said, as he continued his journey.

"Out of my way! Out of my way!" a voice frantically warned. The trainer's concentration was instantly broken by the unknown source of the frenzied yell. Suddenly, the source of the yell ran head on into the trainer, knocking both off their feet and sent them both tumbling to the ground.

"That's it!" the newly arrived figure roared as he immediately jumped to his feet, "I'm fining you one million dollars!". The person in question sported blond hair that had a quiff at the fringe. The blond haired teenager also wore an orange and white striped sweater and a pair of black denim jeans.

"Barry" the other trainer grunted angrily due to the fact that he had been knocked down by the careless, hyperactive shenanigans of the blond haired trainer.

"Paul?" Barry replied, almost bewildered by the presence of the gray haired trainer. "You are in the PWL?"

"Of course I am", Paul simply responded with a gruff snort that was accompanied by his signature scowl.

"Well, as practice… I challenge you to a battle!", the native of Twinleaf Town yelled in excitement. "Just a one-on-one …", he continued as he backed away from Paul and clipped a Pokėball off his belt.

"Hold on", Paul grunted as he held his hand up in protest. "I just completed a vigorous training session with my Pokémon, they are tired. Even so, I'm not in the mood to battle you".

"Oh come on!" Barry moaned in a somewhat child-like manner. "You owe me! I want payback for what happened at the Sinnoh League! I know I can beat you!"

"No chance", Paul somewhat arrogantly snorted. "You are wasting my time, I have other things to attend to, I am meeting my brother for dinner" he continued in a dismissive tone. He then walked away from Barry and continued his journey down the street.

"I'm going to beat you Paul!" Barry angrily called to Paul who was quickly disappearing down the street.

* * *

><p>"Armaldo let's finish this battle off with an X-Scissor!" Nando called. His Pokémon used its claws to form a gesture vaguely resembling the letter x. The Plate Pokémon then used its claws to slash at its much smaller foe that was left to collapse to the ground in defeat.<p>

"_Buneary is unable to battle! Armaldo is the winner!" _the referee declared.

"_For those of you who missed it, Nando's Armaldo has beaten Dawn's Buneary. Buneary did deal some damage to its opponent and even managed to temporarily freeze Armaldo with an Ice Beam attack. However, in the end, Armaldo's vastly superior size and strength proved to be too much for its foe" ._

"Ok Buneary, return", Dawn softly whispered as her defeated Pokemon was returned to its Pokeball, "you did your best."

"Looks like this is now an even battle!", Nando called over to Dawn. "You are a good battler but I'm afraid that this battle is mine!"

"I'm afraid not!", Dawn retorted, "Mamoswine, spotlight!". A large creature that looked like a hybrid of the long extinct wooly mammoth and a boar appeared on the field. The Pokémon was covered in a thick, brown coloured fur that was used to protect it from both harsh weather and even the most powerful of attacks. Furthermore a set of impressive tusks comprised entirely of ice protruded from its face.

"_Begin!"_

"Let's start off with a Water Gun!", Nando confidently bellowed. His Plate Pokémon opened its mouth to allow a jet-like stream of highly pressurised water to fire out in the direction of its foe.

"Dodge it!". Unfortunately for Dawn, her large and very bulky Twin Tusk Pokémon lacked the necessary agility to evade the incoming attack. As a result, the pressurised jet of water hit the large, hulking Pokémon directly in the face. The Water Gun attack temporarily dazed the Twin Tusk Pokémon.

"Follow up with an X-Scissor!", Nando quickly ordered as he hoped to gain the momentum in the battle. The large, amphibian Plate Pokémon charged across the field, and prepared to strike its foe with its claws which the Pokémon had used to form a vague x-shape.

"Counter with Take Down!". The large mammalian Pokémon thundered across the field to tackle its foe to disrupt the attempted attack. Dawn's Mamoswine ran head-first into the approaching Armaldo, while the charge did significant damage to the Plate Pokémon, it failed to knock the amphibian off its feet. "Ok, try again!", Dawn then ordered, her Pokémon complied with the order as it temporarily backed away from the stunned opponent before attempting another Take-Down attack.

"Quick! Use Protect!", Nando hastily countered, his Pokémon responded by hastily forming a protective bubble of light green energy around its immediate vicinity. Dawn's Mamoswine was left to charge into the protective bubble, which did nothing but forced the large Pokémon back away from the Armaldo.

"Third time is always the charm!", Dawn chirped, "use Take Down again!"

"Counter with a Headbutt!". While Mamoswine once again charged against its foe, Armaldo mimicked the mammoth-like creatures run, but instead of charging in an upright position, the Plate Pokémon lowered its head as it ran with the obvious intention of using its head to harm its foe. The two Pokémon continued their respective charge regardless of the potential danger of doing so. The two Pokémon then eventually collided into each other. Mamoswine's Take Down attack proved to be the superior attack as Armaldo was the one to fall as a result of the collision, however, Mamoswine did receive a significant amount of damage as a result of the combination between the opposing Armaldo's Headbutt and from the recoil from its own Take Down attack.

"_What a collision!"_, Gerry exclaimed almost in shock.

"_I agree, but it's hardly a surprise considering that the Mamoswine species is renowned for its strength and sheer hitting power, especially when charging at fast speeds"_. Mitchell elaborated.

"Come own Armaldo, get up! , Nando called in a re-assuring tone. His Rock/Bug typed hybrid Pokémon slowly, but surely raised itself to its feet.

"Mamoswine use Ice Shard!". Dawn's orders were quickly carried out as an orb of pure quickly formulated between the two tusks of the Twin Tusk Pokémon. The orb of ice-type energy then fired out in the direction towards the opposing Plate Pokémon who took the brunt of the attack head-on which caused a significant degree of damage.

Nando could only grimace as he witnessed his Pokémon endure pain following the aftermath of Mamoswine's Ice Shard attack. "Ok Armaldo…", he said before abruptly and briefly pausing so he could think of an appropriate counter, "use Rock Blast!". A ring of brightly coloured rocks comprised completely of energy formed around the large body of the amphibian, the rocks were then fired in an unrelenting volley towards its foe.

"Dodge!", Dawn cried futilely in the vague hope of sparing her Pokémon further damage. Her desperate command did prove to be completely futile as her physically imposing Mamoswine lacked the necessary speed and agility to evade the incoming attack. Dawn's Pokémon suffered the same fate as it opponent had suffered only moments only moments earlier. The jagged edges of the rock shaped Rock type energy sliced into the thick fur of the sturdy Ice and Ground typed Pokémon. It was evident that both Pokémon were ultimately beginning to tire as a result of damage received throughout the battle, this also served to prove that while both Pokémon were powerful, they both seemingly lacked the adequate stamina to battle for prolonged periods in a high-paced battle.

"Keep the momentum up with a Slash attack!", Nando then swiftly ordered as he seized the initiative in the battle. The right-hand claw of the Plate Pokémon then began to glow a bright white colour which resulted in the quick and efficient sharpening of the claw. Armaldo then charged across the field completely unabated by its opponent, the Pokémon then slashed violently at the body of its foe which caused numerous cuts and welts to appear on the body of Dawn's Pokémon. "Exploit those cuts with another Rock Blast!", Nando then called as he noticed a window of opportunity. The Armaldo repeated the same motions of its earlier attack which once again resulted in the formation of a ring of rocks around its body. The Plate Pokémon then fired the rocks directly towards the opposing Mamoswine.

"Counter with AncientPower!", Dawn hastily and rather desperately countered, the entire body of the mammalian creature started to glow in a bright white colour as a silver orb of energy began to form in between the two tips of the Pokémon's two large tusks. The Twin Tusk Pokémon then fired the AncientPower attack directly towards the opposing Armaldo's incoming attack. Mamoswine's AncientPower attack intercepted Armaldo's Rock Blast attack, due to Mamoswine's superior attack power, its own attack completely disintegrated the Rock Blast attack before it resumed its high-speed travel towards the opposing Plate Pokémon. The orb of Rock type energy then collided into the torso of Nando's Pokémon which inflicted a significant degree of damage, due to a result of damage sustained from its earlier battle with Dawn's Buneary and its ongoing battle with Mamoswine, the Armaldo fell to one knee, it was clear that the Pokémon was in serious pain.

"_This battle is about to end! It's almost over!"_, Mitchell bellowed.

"Come on Armaldo, I need you!", Nando yelled in encouragement.

"Let's end this with Take Down!". Once again, Dawn's Twin Tusk Pokémon charged across the battlefield at a surprisingly lightning fast pace considering the size and bulk of the mammoth creature.

"Counter with X-Scissor!", Nando cried in sheer desperation. However the efforts of the wandering minstrel was in complete vain as Dawn's Mamoswine built up even more speed before literally running over Nando's Armaldo. The Plate Pokémon was briefly sent flying into the air before collapsing in a heap into the ground from the sheer force of the Take Down attack. The Pokémon was left completely flattened by the attack and it was obvious that it would be unable to continue the battle.

"_Armaldo is unable to battle! Mamoswine is the winner, and the match goes to Dawn Berlitz of Twinleaf Town!" _the referee declared as he formally ended the battle.

The titantron above the battlefield sprang to life and showed picture of Dawn and confirmed her status as winner, the group table then appeared and read;

_Group III_

_Joshua Moore: 3 points _

_Dawn Berlitz: 3 points _

_Tyson King: 0 points _

_Nando: 0 points_

Dawn and Nando both participated in the conventional post-match handshake and congratulations before leaving the field to the cheers of the crowd.

* * *

><p>"Well done Dawn!" Chris cheered as Dawn walked through the door of the locker-rooms, it was clear that the group of friends had quickly gotten to the room after the battle to surprise the victorious Dawn. "Fortunately for me I've taken enough notes to effectively counter you in a battle", he then beamed as he brandished his black notebook like some sort of sacred religious text.<p>

"Thanks… I guess", Dawn chuckled.

"Ignore him", Josh quickly interjected as he shoved his older brother out of the way. "Well done Dawn, I'm anticipating our battle already".

"As am I", she warmly smiled back in her usual signature tone.

Ash then appeared in front of Dawn and immediately held up his hand for a high-five with Dawn quickly accepted. "That was awesome Dawn! I knew you could do it!".

"_Pi Pika!"_, Ash's Pikachu chirped in agreement from Ash's shoulders.

"_What?"_, Chris instantly recoiled in horror as he momentarily turned completely pale. _"They obviously care for each other… a lot"_, he then internally thought with a jealous, but completely animalistic and instinctual shiver. _"I need to separate them" _

"Thanks Ash!", Dawn cried happily as she stared directly into her best friend's welcoming brown eyes.

"Hey Brock", Chris quickly interjected, "I'm thinking of making dinner tonight, my treat. Would you happen to have any suggestions?", the tall teen continued as he desperately tried to interrupt the fledging conversation between Ash and Dawn.

"I would have to say, steak would be awesome. It's been a while since I've had one," the olive skinned teenager replied.

"Fantastic!" Chris beamed as he noticed that his diversion was working. "Steaks happen to be the Moore family specialty. Hey Ash, why don't you come to the shop with me to get the ingredients?".

"Sure thing!" Ash innocently beamed completely unaware of Chris' selfish motives.

"Excellent, I want to discuss some tactics for my battle tomorrow, I want your opinion on a few things", the blonde haired teen then quickly stated. "I'll see you back at home I guess", he then said as he turned to the other three members of the group.

* * *

><p>Against the deep black setting of the night sky, a small, solitary blinkering set of lights appeared just off the horizon. This single set of lights was then followed by the appearance of another 4 sets of similar lights. Upon closer examination of the seemingly mysterious set of lights it was clear that the lights were in fact the small blinking strobe lights of a small fleet of five UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. The helicopters were painted in an all-black colour completely rendering the machines of war unidentifiable to enemy combatants.<p>

"Two minutes till drop off" the pilot of the lead Blackhawk told the passengers of his own helicopter as well as the other surrounding helicopters through a unit-wide channel. The helicopters in question belonged to the Special Forces Branch of the International Defense Forces, an international anti-terrorist organisation that represented the interests of countries like Kanto, Johto and its allies throughout the world.

Suddenly, a gruff and very deep voice with a distinct American accent spoke collectively to the soldiers on board each of the Blackhawk. "Ok men, this is Lieutenant Surge speaking from FOB Viper, we await the capture of the HVT. The target is Ramone Fagundez, a trusted right hand man of the leader of the PLO- the Pokémon Liberation Organisation. Arrest is a top priority so make sure you get him alive, he's too valuable from an intelligence standpoint. However, remember, this is a deniable operation so you'll get the meaning of 'no witnesses'. Over and out".

Within seconds of the end of the Lieutenant's speech, the helicopters arrived at their destination. In a quick series of maneuvers that highlighted the very highly trained skills of the assault force, four of the Blackhawks landed in the surrounding fields around a rather small bungalow in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. Dozens of highly trained and heavily armed special operation operatives spilled out of the landed helicopters and quickly set up a blocking perimeter around the house that was intended to secure the surrounding area to ensure the completion of the operation. The remaining helicopter hovered above the house and another squad of soldiers fast-roped down to the ground. The soldiers were armed with the latest variant of the Heckler and Koch MP5 Sub-Machine Gun all appropriately attached with a silencer .The soldiers were also dressed in black overalls and wore black coloured helmets that were equipped with night vision goggles. A couple of the operatives smashed a few windows of the house and threw in a number of flash bangs into the house which completely disorientated all the people in the house. Simultaneously, the other Special Forces soldiers kicked in the front door of the house and quickly cleared the house, room-to-room while at the same time killing any person in the house who wasn't Ramone Fagundez. In the last room to be cleared, the master bedroom, the soldiers quickly identified and apprehended their target. The suspect was quickly hand-cuffed and a black hood was placed over his head, he was then led out of the house and roughly thrown into the passenger bay of a waiting Blackhawk.

"Sweep the house!" the leader of the squad called, "check for useful information". The leader then personally inspected the bedroom in which the target was found, checking underneath the bed, the Geiger counter attachment on his web-belt started to bleep furiously. "Anderson! Get in here, now!".

"Sir?", the called for soldier questioned arriving into the room as soon as the squad leader finished his sentence. The leader of the Special Forces squad then proceeded to pull a rather large metal suitcase from underneath the bed.

"My Geiger counter is going off the scale here. We have a possible WMD here. Contact command and get a NBC unit down here ASAP".

"Yes sir", the solider nodded as he proceeded to try to contact command through his satellite phone.

The squad leader then carefully opened the suitcase, his mouth instantly dropped open in sheer shock at the sight he encountered. In the suitcase there was sufficient space for two cylindrical objects, in one partition in the suitcase, there was a Russian made RA-115 suitcase nuke. What was most shocking however was the fact that in the other partition in the suitcase there was space another similar suitcase nuke, however this space was empty. Instead, a hastily written note on a scrap piece of paper occupied the space for the nuke. The squad leader nervously picked up the note in the suitcase and slowly read it.

_Ramone, _

_The time approaches for our ascension, dispatch the two enclosed "packages" to the appropriate target._

Suddenly, the world had become a much more dangerous place.

**AN:**

**So, an organisation called the IDF completely curb-stomped an illegal, terrorist group called the PLO? Is there symbolism in that? ;)**

**Glossary:**

**FOB- Forward Operating Base **

**HVT- High Value Target**

**WMD- Weapon of Mass Destruction**

**NBC- Nuclear, Biological, Chemical.- in the context of this chapter, the NBC team would have been responsible for handling the captured devices.**


	8. Egomania

**AN: Well I'm back, and I can't even begin to tell you how much of a struggle this was to write, but I'd like to thank the usual suspects for helping me get this chapter out, namely; Billy Maiden, Noble Six and Flashfire 360, if I ever meet you guys in the outside world I'll buy a round of soda. Heck, I'll buy a soda for ALL my reviewers! Imaginary beverages all around! **

**I've decided to shorten the length of my chapters, why you ask? Because I'm a Law student and I'm busy.**

Chapter 8: Egomania

It was the dead of night, while the others had elected to head off to bed early, Chris had decided to stay up to conduct further research on his opponent the following day. Sitting alone on the sofa in the living area of the apartment Chris silently watched a series of videos that showed his opponent, Corey Spina in his finest moments in his journey. Suddenly, another figure appeared in the room which distracted Chris from his research.

"Dawn?", Chris said in a groggy tone as he rubbed his tired eyes. Without saying a word the figure that Chris perceived to be Dawn sat down beside him. "Hey", Chris smiled, without a reply; the figure placed its hand quite flirtatiously onto Chris' knee. "Whoa, what the hell?", Chris whispered harshly as a very visible red blush appeared on his face, the tall teen was left both bewildered and slightly aroused by the motion.

Suddenly, Dawn leaned in, pulled Chris in by the head and kissed him, however as the two teenagers made contact, Dawn seemingly vanished into thin air, in her place sat Chris' Zorua, Caedus who sniggered in its signature mischievous tone. Chris' face instantly turned from of bewilderment but slight passion into one of rage.

"You are in for it now buster", Chris seethed as he grabbed his young Illusion Pokémon by the scruff of its neck and hoisted it into the air, "you've just earned yourself a sparring match with Gyru", he continued, "You love to embarrass me don't you?", he questioned. "This is the last time I leave my Pokėball belt out of my sight", the tall teen then chuckled. Chris then got up off the sofa and cradled his Pokémon lovingly into his chest, he then looked up and noticed Ash standing there alone with a shocked expression on his face.

"I got up to use the toilet and noticed that Dawn, well… er, your Zorua I guess, leave your room and walk out to you. I didn't know what to think. Boy, it's true what they say, Dark type Pokémon really are pranksters". Ash nervously said before finishing his sentence with a nervous chuckle.

"Ash", Chris said rather sternly as he placed his arm on Ash's shoulder. "Don't say a thing, please, I beg of you".

"Why?", there was nothing wrong with that, was there?", Ash asked innocently.

"Well no, not really. You see Ash, as you probably know, when a trainer and their Pokémon bond sufficiently a deep, almost psychic connection is formed. I've seen it with you and your Pikachu, you are best buddies and you know each other like the back of your hand. Well, my Zorua picked up a certain… desire". Chris responded with several, long and drawn out sighs inter-spaced between his words. "Being an extremely mischievous creature, Zorua exploited this to pull a prank on me. And that's what you witnessed".

"I don't get it", Ash naively replied with a yawn.

"What's not to get? I like Dawn, Ash", Chris said in an almost inaudible tone.

"Well, I like Dawn as well, she's an awesome friend", Ash beamed back.

"No, not like that", Chris said in a sudden, agitated tone, "I mean _really _like".

"I still don't get it. You like her, everyone likes Dawn!", Ash replied, It was clear that Ash wasn't completely understanding Chris' words. This caused much annoyance to the tall teen who shuffled his feet along the carpet in a agitated motion.

"Damn Ash, you really are quite dense. It's just that… I _really _like Dawn, that's all", Chris replied once again in a rather agitated tone. "Look Ash, it's past midnight, I'm going to go to bed now. We'll talk about this some other time, but in the meantime, I _beg _you, please don't say a word", the blonde haired gargantuan then said in a sudden pathetic and desperate tone.

"You have my word Chris, I promise", Ash nodded.

"Excellent, I knew I could trust you", Chris then warmly smiled in a relieved tone. "Oh, by the way thanks for the advice for my battle tomorrow. You'll have to explain that whole 'Counter Shield' again though, it sounded quite complicated", the teen continued, "goodnight Ash" he then said as he walked into his room with his Zorua still in his arms.

"_That was weird"_, Ash internally reasoned with himself, _"I mean, I like Dawn, but Chris seems to really like her. Is there even a difference?"_. The teen then continued within his own conscience, with a sudden yawn the raven-haired trainer decided that it was time to go back to bed.

* * *

><p>After a morning of the usual shenanigans surrounding the group of friends which included Chris nearly body slamming his younger brother through the kitchen table, the friends eventually headed out to Stadium 14 in preparation for Chris' first group stage battle of the tournament. While the others had offered to accompany Chris down the locker room, the egotistical blond haired teen utterly refused the request and explained that he wanted to perform his pre-battle "ritual" alone.<p>

Chris stood alone in a rather generic locker room that was painted in a hastily fading white colour. The teen wore his usual attire of a navy coloured New England Patriots jersey, a pair of blue denim jeans and a pair of white trainers. In addition to this, he also wore a chain around his neck that was attached to a gold-plated Pokėball. Chris' 'ritual' consisted off jogging on the spot while he listened to heavy metal songs through his earphones that were connected to his phone.

"Sir", a stadium attendant said as he walked through the door of the lockeroom. "Sir?", the attendant said again as he tugged lightly on Chris' arm.

"Huh?", Chris abruptly stated as he took the earphones out of his ears.

"It's time to go out on the field", the attendant then quickly left the room and seemingly disappeared into the long winding halls of the interior part of the stadium.

"Freaking sweet!", Chris cheered with an enthusiastic grin. The teen then left the lockeroom with a noticeable and deliberate swagger in his step. He reached the entrance of the tunnel that would take him out onto the battlefield, before walking out he stopped for a brief moment and deeply exhaled.

"_Please welcome to the field a former winner of the Sinnoh League, and a native of Snowpoint City, Sinnoh, the one and only Corey Spina", _Mitchell exclaimed over the announcing system.

"It's showtime", Chris said to himself with a massive, egotistical grin plastered over his face.

* * *

><p>"<em>Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the field another former Sinnoh League champion and a winner of the Sinnoh Battle-Frontier, he is the 'Conqueror of Sinnoh', Christopher Moore!" <em>

"YES! YES! YES!" Chris chanted as he appeared onto the battlefield from the tunnel to a modest round of applause and cheers in recognition of his status as a former winner of a regional league, the ever-confident teenager was thrusting his arms Into the air with cocky exuberance. Then, Chris confidently swaggered over to the middle of the field where his opponent stood ready to dispense with the customary pre-match pleasantries.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Corey Spina", the trainer said extending his hand warmly. Chris looked over his opponent, Corey stood at a relatively modest 5 foot 10 inches tall and sported short, light brown coloured hair and was spiked with gel at the fringe. Corey's hair was matched by his brown coloured eyes that exuded an aura of calmness and complimented his fair skin complexion. Furthermore he wore a blue coloured shirt that were paired with white coloured shorts and a pair of blue fingerless gloves with lightning bolt emblems emblazoned on them.

"Hi, I'm Chris Moore and I'm going to kick your ass", Chris said with a chuckle as he accepted Corey's offer of a handshake.

"I guess we will have to see about that", Corey responded with his own chuckle. The two trainers then walked back to their respective trainer areas at the edge of the battlefield.

"_Ok, this is to be a three-on-three battle, substitutions are permitted and the winner is declared when the other trainer loses three Pokémon", _the referee said in a hasty tone as he repeated the same familiar set of rules. _"Furthermore, this battle will take place on an ice battlefield". _The generic astroturf battlefield gave way into the ground beneath the stadium and in its place a battlefield covered in ice ascended from the ground.

"Ok, Heracross, I need your assistance!", Corey called as he lobbed a Pokėball into the air that released a blue coloured beetle onto the field, a single horn and a pair of antennae protruded from the head of the Pokėball.

"Let me see…", Chris whispered as his hand hovered over his Pokėball belt as he pondered each potential choice he could make, suddenly a small, cocky smirk appeared on his face. "Apache, standby for battle!" he bellowed as he lobbed his own Pokėball into the air as a Pokémon closely resembling a hawk appeared on the field. The body of the Pokémon was mainly covered in gray coloured feathers; however white feathers also covered parts of the bird's chest, face and neck. Chris' Staraptor glided gracefully to the ground and prepared its self for the battle.

"_Begin!"_

"Let's start this off with a Horn Attack!", Corey called, his Single Horn Pokémon charged across the field with the intent of slamming its large and bulky horn into its opponent.

"Predictable", Chris countered with a snort, "Apache take to the air and use Aerial Ace". His Staraptor flew up into the air with lightning fast pace, the Predator Pokémon then swooped in towards its foe as it formed its body into a torpedo like shape to maximise damage. The flying type Pokémon then collided into Corey's Heracross at a sickening pace that instantly took the Bug/Fighting dual typed Pokémon to the ground. Naturally, the super-effective Aerial Ace attack inflicted major damage into its foe.

"_What a start! Chris is renowned for his no nonsense straight up brutal and powerful tactics. Corey needs to find a way to counter this before this battle ends before it even begins!", _Mitchell shouted in a loud, but still professional and analytical tone.

"Let's go back in with a Wing Attack", Chris ordered coolly with a smirk. His Staraptor did a barrel roll into the air and once again swooped in close to its opponent with its right wing extended. The gray coloured hawk-like Pokémon used its wing as an impromptu blunt object to strike its foe across the head as it flew past the Heracross. The force of the attack left Corey's Pokémon completely dazed and temporarily rendered immobile by the attack. "Ok, do it again, take him down!", Chris then yelled in an unforgiving and merciless tone.

"Use Counter!", Corey quickly ordered. His Pokémon started to glow in a brightly coloured white aura, as Chris' Pokemon neared to carry out its ordered Wing Attack, the Heracross simply caught the Predator Pokémon by its wing and violently slammed it to the ground.

"_That's one way to reverse your fortune in a battle!"_

"No!", Chris bellowed with a deeply shocked expression on his face.

"Ok Heracross, use Horn Attack!", Corey called in a relatively calm tone, the bug-beetle look-a-like creature slammed its heavy horn down directly into the ribs of the grounded Staraptor, this caused a significant degree of damage due to the compromised position of the Predator Pokémon. "Ok, now launch it into the air!", the Heracross positioned its horn underneath the body of Chris' Pokémon, with a deft flick of its neck muscles, the Pokémon used its sheer strength to hurl its foe at least 50 metres into the air.

"_What goes up, must come down", _Mitchell awkwardly chuckled.

"Get ready to hit 'em with a Focus Punch!" Corey ordered sternly, Corey's Heracross clenched its right fist in preparation to strike its foe. In addition to this, the beetle-like Pokémon closed its eyes in meditation to mentally prepare itself to land a critically effective hit on its opponent which was still free-falling down to earth.

"Rookie mistake kiddo", Chris stated confidently, "you've left yourself wide open for an aggressive counter. Apache take him out with a Brave Bird!". The Predator Pokémon happily obliged with its trainer's orders, suddenly, a blue aura formed around the entire body of the heavily muscled bird creature. Chris' Pokémon then contorted its own body to increase its aero-dynamic properties to increase the likely hood of a powerful hit.

"Come on Heracross, get out of the way!" Corey desperately pleaded, however, his pleas where in vain because his Pokémon was so deep in its meditation that it failed to recognise its trainer's orders. The Staraptor's Brave Bird attack accurately found its mark as the Pokémon collided with its foe; the force of the attack was so great that the Heracross was instantly knocked out by the sheer intensity of the super-effective attack. Chris' victorious Pokémon soared into the air in triumph; however it was obvious that the Pokémon had suffered a significant amount of recoil damage from its previous high powered but extremely high risk attack.

"_Heracross is unable to battle, Staraptor is the winner!"_, the referee declared.

"_I hope Dawn was watching that", _Chris inwardly mused as a small, barely noticeable smile appeared on his face. _"But first, I finish this battle off"_.

"Raichu, I need your assistance!". Corey released an orange coloured Pokémon onto the field that resembled an extremely large rodent. The creature had a cream-coloured underbelly and brown coloured ears. In addition to this, a large, lightning-bolt shaped tail extended out from the bottom of the Pokémon's lower back.

"If you think that you are going to get me to switch out my Pokémon solely based on type disadvantages, you are sorely mistaken." Chris stated in a stern tone.

"_Begin!"_

"Apache, hit him with an Aerial Ace!" Chris quickly ordered, his Pokémon sprang up into the air with impressive agility, the bird then swooped down towards its opponent.

"Counter with a Thunderbolt!" Corey quickly retorted, his Raichu happily obliged to its trainer's orders and fired a bolt of electricity at the incoming Pokémon.

"Double Team", Chris calmly ordered with a stern expression on his face as he folded his arms across his chest. A white aura emanated from the bird Pokémon, from this aura, several exact copies of the Staraptor appeared in the air.

"Hit all of them", Corey ordered not wanting to take any chances that might jeopardise his momentum in the battle. Corey's Pokémon sent out several arcs of lightning towards the several faux-Staraptors, disintegrating each one before only the real one remained.

"Not so fast!" Chris retorted with an air of confidence, "use Aerial Ace". Chris' Staraptor swooped down through the air with the intention of landing a finishing blow to its opponent.

"Iron Tail!", Corey coolly countered, his confident tone of voice made it seem that he had ensnared Chris in a carefully laid trap. As Chris' Pokémon continued towards Corey's Raichu, the tail of the Electric typed Pokémon began to glow a bright white colour as the density of the tail increased ten-fold. Raichu then flailed its tail into the direction of the oncoming Predator Pokémon; the Iron Tail attack struck the Staraptor squarely on the head which resulted in an instantaneous knock-out.

"_Staraptor is unable to battle! Raichu is the winner!"_

"You did your best buddy", Chris softly whispered as he returned his defeated Pokémon back into its Pokėball. Chris bit his bottom lip in contemplation of his next move, after a brief couple of seconds, the egotistical teen suddenly sprung back into life. "Ru, standby for battle!", he bellowed as he released a Kangaskhan onto the battlefield. The Pokémon was a large, bi-pedal creature that resembled a kangaroo, the Kangaskhan was primarily coloured brown with accentuations of cream on its horn-like ears and belly. Furthermore, a hard, rough patch of black coloured skin formed a protective helmet on the top of the Pokémon's head. The most noticeable trait of the Kangaskhan was the lack of a young joey in the pouch of the Pokémon; this indicated that Chris' Pokémon was still a youngling.

"_Begin!" _

"Raichu use Iron Tail", Corey calmly ordered.

"Ru, catch them off guard with a Fake Out!" The Parent Pokémon charged across the field at a deceptively fast pace given the size of the bulky Pokémon. The Pokémon used its massive arms to quickly strike its opponent, which completely discombobulated the Raichu, this allowed Chris the time to issue a new attack order. "Follow up with Mega Punch", the female Pokémon drew back its right fist before landing a boxing-style haymaker straight into the face of Corey's Raichu, which sent the Pokémon reeling backwards.

"_Now that's a punch that Mike Tyson himself would be proud of!" _

"Let's end this quickly, finish this off with a Mega Punch!", Chris ordered with authority, his Pokémon once again sent its massive fist directly towards its foe.

"Dodge and use Thunderbolt!", Corey countered, his Raichu used its superior speed to avoid the incoming punch by rolling behind its much larger foe. The Electric typed Pokémon then briefly stored up electricity within the two red sacs on its cheeks before blasting the Kangaskhan with a fierce jolt of electricity. The electricity coursed through the body of the Parent Pokémon and caused convulsions in its muscle which caused a significant degree of damage. "Ok, now use Quick Attack!".

"Not so fast, you ain't getting away with that this easily!" Chris cried with an arrogant tone. "Ru, catch Raichu and use Uproar!". Chris' Kangaskhan obliged to her trainer's orders by opening her large mouth and let out a loud roar, which caused blue sound waves to travel the brief distance through the air and made contact with its trapped foe. The effect of the attack was immediately apparent as the Uproar attack caused the Raichu great discomfort and pain due to the noise decibels from the attack. "Ok, that's enough, set him down", Chris then stated with an arrogant chuckle. The Kangaskhan slammed the disorientated Electric Mouse Pokémon into the ground; the injured Pokémon slowly crawled over to its side of the battlefield. "That's right" Chris chuckled in a playful, but arrogant tone, "let him slowly get up and nail him with a Mega Punch, it's time we finished this.

"_This kid sure is arrogant", _Mitchell quipped.

"_it's not arrogance when you can back it up"_, Gerry retorted, _"after all, he is a former Sinnoh League champion"_.

While the two commentators bantered, Chris' Kangaskhan waited until Corey's Raichu slowly got to its feet, then in a swift movement, the Parent Pokémon charged across with the intent to strike its foe with a knockout-punch.

"Raichu, use Iron Tail!" Corey bellowed, in a tone that implied both desperation and a hint of pre-planned strategy. The Electric Mouse Pokémon almost instantly kipped-up to its feet, its tail then took on the density of industrial steel as a bright silver colour formed around the Pokémon's lightning bolt shaped tail. Corey's Raichu then used its tail to strike Chris' Kangaskhan across the head as it charged across the battlefield. The force of Raichu's Iron Tail attack instantly surprisingly took the large Pokémon off its feet and sent it crashing backwards into the ground, upon further inspection, it was clear that the Kangaskhan had been knocked out by the attack.

"_Kangaskhan is unable to battle! Raichu is the winner! Trainer, send out your last Pokémon!" _

"Dammit", Chris muttered through gritted teeth as he returned his fallen Pokémon back into its Pokėball. _"One Pokémon left"_, Chris inwardly mused, _"do I unleash Pyro?" _he continued as he touched his starter's gold –plated Pokėball that was attached to a chain around his neck. _"No"_, he then told himself as a cold, knowing smile crept across his face, _"I have a better idea". _"Gyru, standby for battle!" he roared as he lobbed his final Pokėball onto the field. In a flash of brilliant, bright white light, a large, bi-pedal, purple creature that closely resembled a reptilian appeared. The Pokémon had a long horn that protruded from its forehead, in addition to this, the Drill Pokémon's chest and belly plate was a distinct gray colour. The Nidoking also sported a long tail that was said to be so powerful that it could easily crush a metal transmission tower.

"_Begin!" _

"Ok", Chris muttered with a deep breath, suddenly, a deep, dark scowl appeared across his face, "Let's end this quickly, Gyru use Earthquake!". The Drill Pokémon immediately responded to his trainer's orders by viciously stamping its right foot into the ground, the force of the stomp was so great that it sent a massive, potent shockwave across the battlefield that shattered the ice on Corey's side of the battlefield. As a direct result of this, Raichu was knocked off its feet and sent crashing into the water.

"No! Raichu!", Corey cried out in concern

"_Whoa! That's how you make a statement of intent!" _

"And again", Chris coldly ordered with the same scowl etched across his face. His Pokémon repeated the same motions as before and sent out another shockwave across the battlefield which propelled Corey's Raichu out of the water and into the air. The Electric Mouse Pokémon then crashed back down to earth and onto the remnants of the ice on the battlefield.

"_Raichu is unable to battle! Nidoking is the winner!"_

"T-thank you R-Raichu" Corey stammered in shock as he recalled his defeated Pokémon.

"_I'm almost speechless folks, never before have I seen such a change in demeanour before in my entire life." _Mitchell stated.

"_What are you talking about? What you just seen was a trainer, who was backed into a corner, take control of this match in the best way possible. Agree or disagree with the disregard for the safety of his opponent, but, all is fair in love and war"_. Gerry retorted.

What was noticeable however, was that in the whole sequence of events, Chris' body language had never changed beyond an angry, contemptible scowl.

* * *

><p>"Someone tell me that this is some sort of sick joke", President Winters calmly asked as he skimmed through a booklet of papers detailing the latest anti-terrorist raid. The President of Kanto sat at his desk in the Oval Office of the Kanto Presidential White House, around the President's table stood an array of generals, advisors and close political allies.<p>

"No sir", one of the general's drawled in a southern accent.

"A nuke? A freakin' nuke!" Winter's cried as he slammed his fist into the table. "I thought we were dealing with a minor operation here, not a freaking doomsday scenario! What the hell is this? Spetnaz? Hizbollah? Don't tell me that Team Rocket have decided to go beyond Pokémon smuggling!"

"We are fairly certain that the weapons cache we found had been supplied through the IRA, but there's no way they are linked with the nukes". Another heavy-set general in his early sixties responded. "Altough the former USSR countries are notoriously sloppy with their left-over stockpiles but the two nukes we did find are modern and don't match the intelligence we have on Russian suitcase nuke specifications. So we can rule that connection out".

"Yeah, that really put my mind at ease", Winter's sarcastically quipped. "And what of this missing nuke?"

"We aren't entirely certain of its location, but we have a list of crime syndicates and sleeper cells we could raid as a start to gather intelligence. We might get lucky"

"Lucky? The fate of this nation is at hand and the best we can hope for is to get 'lucky'!", the President angrily exploded, "I don't care about the expense, round up every son of a bitch you think is related to this and get the intelligence we need".

"We have commando units ready and awaiting your order", yet another general commented.

"Get them out there, but try to be as discreet as possible, the last thing we need is for mass public hysteria. Get me the US President on the line, if we don't tell them now, they'll get involved and the last thing we need is an outside military intervention" the President continued in a calmer tone. "Ok, get the hell out", Winters then stated as he got out of his seat and walked over to the large window in the office that overlooked a magnificent vista of trees and picturesque green grass. President Winters then waited until everyone else had vacated the room, he then pulled a cell phone out of his trouser pocket, he quickly dialled a number and held the phone up to his ear. "Lance, it's me, I need your help"

* * *

><p>"<em>If you you missed it ladies and gentlemen, both trainers are down to their last Pokémon. Upon the defeat of his Raichu, Corey Spina unleashed his Empoleon onto the battlefield to do battle with Chris' Nidoking. Despite the type advantage and its advantage on this ice battlefield that is now more like a water battlefield due to the high intensity of this match, Nidoking has managed to hold its own against its advantaged foe"<em>. Mitchell recapped.

"Empoleon use Hydro Cannon!"

"Counter with Hyper Beam!". Corey's Empoleon formed an orb on pale blue water type energy within its mouth. At the same time, Chris' Nidoking formed its own orb of orange energy.

"And fire!", both trainers simultaneously shouted. The two opposing Pokémon both fired their respective attacks towards each other. Empoleon's blue coloured beam provided a colourful contrast to the bright orange beam that Chris' Nidoking had fired. Both beams continued in their trajectory through the air until they collided at the center of the field, for a brief moment the two beams attempted to dissipate each other before the attacks cancelled each other out with a small explosion that sent smoke billowing into the air.

"Use Drill Peck!" Corey quickly ordered. His Empoleon's beak and crown started to glow a white as it jumped forward into the air and rolled its body in rapid succession that mimicked a drill. In this make-shift drill form, the Pokémon ploughed through the smoke that remained on the battlefield and tackled straight into the chest of its foe. The beak of the Emperor Pokémon was unable to fully inflict damage to Chris' Pokémon due to heavy armour-like plating.

"Don't take that! Use Thrash!", Chris bellowed, his Drill Pokémon viciously punched and kicked Corey's Pokémon until the collapsed to the ground. "Ok, now use Horn Drill!", in response to his trainer's orders, the horn of the Nidoking started to glow a bright, brilliant white colour while the horn started to spin around like in a drilling motion. "And hit him!", Chris called in a tone that suggested that he had little regard for the safety of his opponent's Pokémon.

"Move!" Corey desperately called. Much to the trainer's relief, his Pokémon successfully evaded the attack by rolling out of the way, as a result, Nidoking's horn drilled straight into the ground, which momentarily immobilised the Pokémon. "Hit him with a Steel Wing!", one of Empoleon's wings started to glow a bright white colour, signifying a substantial increase in the density of the wing. In one swift motion, Corey's Pokémon clobbered Chris' Nidoking across the head, this had to the effect of freeing the Pokemon from its temporary entrapment but also caused the dinosaur-like Pokemon to stumble back from the force of the attack.

"Oh hell no!", Chris roared, "Use Iron Tail*!"

"Counter with Steel Wing!". Nidoking's tail started to omit a brilliant white colour, while Empoleon repeated the same motion that it had carried out only moments before. Both Pokémon charged head-on towards each other with the intent of knocking out their foe. Chris' Nidoking slammed its tail straight into the head of Corey's Empoleon, who at the same time had managed to smash its wing into the face of the Nidoking. Both Pokémon had instantly knocked each other unconscious by the sheer force of the attack they had inflicted on each other. Both Pokémon collapsed to the floor which gave a loud and definitive thud sound which reverberated through the stadium that had been rendered silent by the closing events of the match.

"_Both Pokémon are unable to battle! This match is a draw!"_, the referee declared.

The stadium had been shocked into silence by the anti-climax that had finished the match. Corey quickly and quietly recalled his Pokémon and retreated from the field. However Chris could only fall to his knees in shock, a solitary tear rolled down his cheek.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong>

** So this chapter is finally done, to be honest, I didn't particularly enjoy writing this chapter but hopefully you readers found some enjoyment in it.**

**Due to my very busy schedule until Christmas, i.e being a Law student, I don't think that the next chapter will be up until late November/early December. As a make-do I'll give a little preview of the chapter- one of Ash's old Pokémon returns, and someone has a surprising revelation to make.**

**I deliberately made this chapter character-lite, and put the spotlight on Chris, you may not notice it now, but this is part of an underlying story arc.**

***Corey Spina is an OC that belongs to Cyclone 20.**


	9. Absurdity

**Chapter 9: Absurdity**

Chris looked out upon the magnificent vista of emerald green fields and small country roads which stretched far beyond the horizon. The blond haired teenager stood alone at the top of a hill that gave him an elevated view of his surroundings. He took a deep breath, allowing the smell and flavour of the countryside to enter his body, he sighed contently, he realised that he was back home. The sun shone brightly in the sky with only a few sparsely spaced fluffy clouds to populate the bright blue sky. He turned his body to the south, in the extreme distance lay the small town of Twinleaf, and to the east lay Sandgem Town. He continued to look around, his eyes surveying the vast fields that lay around him that also stretched far into the horizon. After a quick survey he immediately found a ranch situated off in the distance, not just any ranch,it was his home.

"It's good to be back", the teenager sighed in a tone that oozed a sense of relief. He descended from his vantage point on top and walked along a familiar, long rural road. At the end of the road, he was greeted with the familiar sight of a hip-high, white picket fence that seemingly stretched far beyond the horizon. Chris walked further up the road, with each step he was greeted with yet another familiar childhood sound or smell that conjured up all-but forgotten happy memories. The teenager continued on In an almost trance like state until he reached a vast and open field populated with Pokémon, but just not any Pokémon, they were _his _Pokémon.

"Hey guys! Over here!" Chris cried. "It's me!" he bellowed as he vaulted the fence separating the road from field. "Guys! It's me!" Chris continued to yell as he galloped across the field. However despite Chris' best attempts to capture his Pokémon's attention; it was increasingly becoming clear that something was amiss. "Come on! It's me!" Chris once again cried, "Come on Panzer, don't you recognise me? I've only been gone a few weeks!" he continued as he approached his Tyranitar.

"Right, this isn't funny…" Chris began before he noticed the look of abject sorrow and depression on his Pokémon's face. "… what the heck?". Chris then reached out his hand and touched the scaly, but rock hard torso of his Armour Pokémon and gently stroked it. Despite this, Chris had yet to garner any sort of reaction from any of Pokémon who all equally shared the same pained and deep seated expression of pure sadness, with each Pokémon completely unaware of Chris' presence.

"What the hell?" Chris softly muttered, "what the hell is going on?" he continued in a shocked tone. Suddenly, the once bright blue sky became shrouded in drab grey clouds that covered the entire sky. In addition to the sudden atmospheric change, a torrential downpour of rain started, instantly soaking Chris.

"Aww come on!" Chris loudly groaned, as he sprinted from the field and ran a short distance down the road. At the end of the road sat a grand, two storey rural home constructed with high-quality brick, a white painted porch greeted visitors to the house with the warm sight of wooden rocking chairs that flanked a brown painted oak door.

"Home sweet home", Chris grinned as he sought shelter underneath the porch; he then moved over to the door only to find, much to his surprise that the door was locked.

"Screw this", Chris huffed in sheer frustration, as he banged the door with his fist. "Better try the back". Chris then proceeded to walk around the back of the house, only to be greeted with the sight of a large congregation of people off in the distance gathered underneath a large oak tree that Chris instantly realised as his favourite hangout spot from his childhood. As Chris approached the gathering of people it was clear that the group had assembled some sort of object, he then walked to the outer perimeter of the gathering of people.

"Ash!" Chris yelled immediately recognising one of his friends in the crowd. The tall teen ran up to the trainer from Pallet Town. "Ash! It's me!"

"This is my entire fault", Ash softly muttered to himself as he sobbed. The black-haired trainer wore a simple black suit with a pair of black trousers and brown formal shoes. However, most noticeably, Ash's trusty Pikachu was nowhere in sight.

"What's your fault?" Chris loudly exclaimed, "I'm really starting to get pissed off, what the hell is going on?"

"I could have stopped this, it's all my fault", Ash once again sobbed.

"Tell me!" Chris roared in anger, as he placed his large paw-like hands on Ash's shoulders and began to violently shake him. Despite this, Ash was seemingly oblivious to Chris' presence.

"Ash", a feminine voice softly said, Chris turned around to be greeted with the warm, approaching sight of Dawn walking towards to where Chris was standing with Ash. Dawn was wearing a silk black dress that fit perfectly around her slender body.

"Hey Dawn", Chris nervously chuckled, clearly enamoured by Dawn's appearance. However, once again, Chris' presence was seemingly ignored.

"Ash, you need to stop this, it isn't your fault. You did all you could" Dawn whispered.

"It is my fault, I watched it happen, I did nothing, it's entirely my fault", Ash weakly responded.

"Well this is going nowhere", Chris groaned. He walked closer to the large gathering of people, aggressively pushing his way to the front which predictably drew no response from anyone. Once he reached into the front of the gathering he noticed that the object the people had gathered around was in fact a gravestone. A casket had been lowered into a six foot deep hole in the ground

"No, no, no", Chris muttered, as he read the inscription;

_Here lays Christopher Moore, _

_Slain by own his worst enemy,_

_1995-2014_

"No", Chris weakly whimpered, as fell to his knees in utter shock. A single tear rolled down his cheek, he had been clearly rocked by the sight of looking at his own grave. "What is going on?" he angrily sobbed as he slammed his fists repeatedly into the wet, green grass.

"Well, well, how the mighty has fallen", a deep voice suddenly chimed. "The great Christopher Moore reduced to a sobbing mess, absolutely pathetic". Chris slowly looked up and noticed the abrupt appearance of a tall, figure that adorned a brown, monk-like robe that had a hood that completely obscured the figure's face.

"Who the hell are you", Chris snarled, in a sudden change of tone as he rose to his feet. Chris noticed that he was suddenly alone with this new mystery figure; the people who had previously been present had seemingly vanished in thin air.

"Why, I'm your worst enemy", the figure quickly responded in a matter-of-fact tone. Before Chris could reply to this taunt, the figure viciously headbutted Chris square in the centre of the head, Chris fell to the ground in sheer agony, clutching his head in a vain attempt to relieve some pain. "I am your beginning", the figure spat as it wrapped its large hands around Chris' throat. "I am your end", the figure continued as it dragged Chris by his throat along the ground towards the open grave. "I am YOU!", the figure roared as he bent Chris' limp body over the grave.

"W-wha.. what is… going on….", Chris managed to weakly groan, clearly suffering the effects of the earlier headbutt.

"Prepare to die Chris", the figure once again spat as it pulled back the hood that had obscured his face. Although Chris' vision had been severely blurred he was able to make out the unmistakable form of hideously scarred face, that bore deep, piercing blue eyes, a large shapeless face and the burnt remnants of dirty blonde hair.

"It- it… can't… be", Chris feebly muttered.

"Welcome to your worst nightmare, welcome to your new reality", the deranged, scarred form of Chris sinisterly chuckled as a large, psychopathic smile appeared on his scarred face. "I'll be seeing you in hell!" it roared, and in one swift motion kicked Chris into the grave. Chris lay helpless in the grave, completely unable to move as his demonic doppelganger piled soil and dirt into the grave burying him alive. The soil compacted around his body, crushing his organs, forcing him to draw slow, laboured breaths until he passed out.

* * *

><p>Chris abruptly awoke to find himself crumpled in a heap on the floor of his bed, he was drenched by his own sweat and was violently convulsing. The blonde haired teen managed to weakly turn his head to survey his surroundings; it was immediately clear that he had tumbled out of bed as a result of his nightmarish experience. He managed to slowly crawl back over to his bed and managed, with great difficulty, to heave his large frame back on-top of the bed. In an act of sheer anguish, he covered his face with his large, paw-like hands, his breathing was clearly laboured as he slowly drifted back to sleep.<p>

* * *

><p>In a small side alley merely blocks away from Chris' apartment a Darkrai drifted towards a waiting man dressed in a black trench coat and a Stetson hat. The sinister dark typed Pokemon stoically nodded to its trainer, affirming the completion of his deed.<p>

"Phase A completed", the trainer spoke into a mobile phone, "the message has been delivered. From now on my brother will know nothing but pain and misery", the trainer continued.

"_Acknowledged"_, the person on the other end of the phone line simply responded. A perverse smile appeared across the trainers face as he threw the mobile to the ground and stamped on it completely to ensure the complete destruction of all potential evidence.

**AN:**

**Well, have I got some 'splaining to do!**

**As some of you may be aware, I recently took that decision to step aside from fan fiction on a permanent basis. HOWEVER, I decided it would shameful not to add at last one last chapter. So I decided to be evil and leave on a cliff-hanger, which of course sets up future chapters (should I chose to return).**

**Now to answer some (hypothetical questions):**

**Am I gone forever? Possibly.**

**Is there any chance of me returning full time? Possibily.**

**Could this hypothetical return occur as early as next week if circumstances allow it? Absolutely.**

**Would other circumstances dictate a full and permanent requirement? Yes, absolutely.**

**What are the chances of coming back full time? Based on the balance of probabilities, 50:50**

**As every kid who grew up the 1990's would say, "Smell ya later alligator!" **


	10. Back to Reality

**AN: Hey y'all, I'm back with a refined writing strategy with shorter, too-the-point chapters. So enjoy and give feedback via review! **

Chapter 10: Back to Reality

"Come on Chris, stop this, this is freaking ridiculous!" Josh seethed as he banged on Chris' bedroom door.

"Piss off", Chris mumbled from the other side of the door.

"This is a complete overreaction!"

"Go away!" Chris roared.

"It isn't the end of the world! So what, you didn't win a match", Josh continued as he continued to pound on the door with his fists.

"Leave me alone!"

"Fine, screw you, it's like talking to a toddler", Josh quipped in an extremely frustrated tone. "Gee, his match was draw, it's not like he's going to die". The younger Moore brother left the door and returned to the living area of the apartment where he was greeted with the sight of Ash, Brock and Dawn sitting down watching the television. "Sorry about that, this is the second time this week that he has done this", the younger Moore brother then sighed as he slumped into the nearest chair.

"Well, at least he cares", Brock responded.

"Yeah, but sometimes he cares _too _much. You should have seen him after he lost in the Elite Four Challenge, he cried for at least two days straight. Of course, he'd never cry in any other context, he sees himself as the prototypical alpha male, but his competitive streak just completely overtakes him".

"Are you sure that he is going to be ok?" Ash asked in a somewhat concerned tone.

"Of course, let's leave him for a few hours to calm down, he will very quickly return to his usual self complete with his own over-inflated ego. He's a like a big, but ultimately harmless baby". Josh chuckled.

"I heard that!" Chris roared from his room.

"I'd recommend we get out of here for a while, I heard of a pizzeria a few blocks from here. We get pizza and we get away from Chris, it's a win-win situation!" Josh quipped with a smile as he got out of his seat. "You guys ready to rock n' roll?"

"Lead the way!" Ash enthusiastically cried, "I love pizza! In fact, I love all food!" Ash declared while his Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

"Well, it's not like I have any choice in the matter", Dawn shrugged with a light chuckle. The group then left the apartment in good spirit. As soon as the door closes signalling the group's departure, the door to Chris' room slowly opened to reveal Chris wearing nothing but a black pair of boxers timidly emerge. Chris bore an ashen face and his whole body was covered in sickly pale colour as if he had fallen into a massive bucket of white paint. He quickly looked around to take in his surroundings before he darted to the kitchen and take a sharp kitchen knife before hurriedly retreating back into his room.

* * *

><p>"I love pizza!" Ash declared in an overly enthusiastic tone as emerged from the pizzeria licking his fingers. The native of the Kanto region offered the last remaining crust from the pizza to his Pikachu which was perched on its usual position on his shoulder.<p>

"It was a massacre", Josh muttered in sheer shock as he appeared behind Ash as he stared directly ahead, "why did I offer to pay? I'm pretty sure there's nothing left in my bank account.

"I tried to warn you Josh", Brock chuckled, "when it comes to food, Ash is a monster". Dawn appeared behind Brock only to burp loudly in sheer satisfaction.

"Sorry", Dawn giggled.

"Welcome to the club", Josh replied as he too burped loudly.

"That's nothing!" Ash insisted as he unleashed an even louder burp than Josh's and Dawn's combined.

"Whoa, Ash used Uproar! It was super-effective!" Josh coolly replied which drew a brief bout of laughter from the other trainers. "I don't know about you guys, but I need to stay away from Chris for the meantime, so I'm off to the stadiums to find a battle to watch."

"Count me in!" Dawn chirped.

"Me too" Brock nodded.

"Uhh, I can't move" Ash complained, suddenly clutching his stomach, "My stomach hurts", he whined.

"No way buster", ~Josh stated as he stomped over to Ash and forced him to stand up straight, "I paid for the food in your stomach, you ain't ruining this day".

"That's fine", Ash panted, "I've got transport"

"Huh?" Josh responded in a curious tone.

"You are!" Ash responded as his jumped onto Josh's back, and gripped his arms around Josh's neck.

"Agh, what the heck, get off!"

"No way, one step and I could explode!" Ash insisted, "Lead the way!"

* * *

><p>"<em>Welcome back ladies and gentlemen to our coverage of this Group 22 match pitting Jason Sorenson vs Renn Silver. If you are just joining us you have missed a scintillating opening bout against Renn's Pupitar and Jason's Wartortle which resulted in a victory for Jason's Pokémon. However, this advantage was short lived as Renn then countered by utilising his Gabite which quickly dispatched off Renn's weakened Pokémon. Jason responded to this by unleashing his Charmeleon, and now, we join the battle already in progress". <em>Mitchell recapped.

"Charmeleon use Flamethrower!" Jason shouted, his Flame Pokémon instantly responded to this order and unleashed a torrent of flames that travelled towards the air towards its foe. The browned haired trainer from the United States of America wore a pair of blue denim jeans which complemented the white, replica jersey of Nick Foles of the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Evade with Dig", Renn coolly responded as his dual typed Dragon and Ground typed Pokemon burrowed its way underneath the grass battlefield and was able to completely avoid the incoming attack. Renn had silver hair that was styled into several spikes at the fringe due to gel. The stoic trainer wore a simple short-sleeved white shirt and a pair of dark navy jeans.

"Be patient", Jason softly instructed, "take your time, sense him out, and strike with a Slash attack".

"Surface and use Dragon Claw", Renn once again commanded with a cool and calm demeanour. Renn's Cave Pokémon broke through the battlefield directly underneath its foe and propelled the Flame Pokémon up into the air. As the Charmeleon fell back towards the ground, the Gabite readied its attack as its right claw started to glow in a bright red colour. "And attack", Renn ordered, his Dragon typed Pokémon then brought its claw directly up into the back of its foe, inflicting a significant degree of damage as the Pokémon crashed into the ground with a dull thud.

"_Oh, that has gotta hurt!" _Gerry exclaimed. Renn's Gabite returned to its own side of the battlefield and patiently wait for its foe to rise back up to its feet.

"Are you ok?" Jason asked with a tinge of concern in his voice as he watched his Pokemon slowly get up to its feet.

"_Char"_, the Fire typed Pokémon defiantly insisted, waving off its trainer's concern.

"Ok, that's the attitude I like to hear!" Jason proudly exclaimed, his heavy American accent apparent in his language. "Let's go for some shock and awe! Use Slash!" The Flame Pokémon eagerly carried out Jason's orders as it charged across the field towards its foe as his brandished its sharp claws.

"Evade and counter with your own Slash", Renn calmly retorted as his Pokémon sharpened its own claws and prepared itself to strike the Charmeleon.

"You fell right into my trap!" Jason triumphantly declared, "Charmeleon, use Flamethrower at close range!" The Flame Pokémon stopped dead in its tracks and suddenly unleashed a massive stream of flames that almost immediately engulfed Renn's Pokémon who had been unable to react to the attack. The flames from the attack singed the rough scales on the Cave Pokémon's body and caused a great deal of damage, causing the Pokémon to double over in pain. "Ok, now follow up with a Slash!" Jason continued as his American-accented voice swelled with confidence. Jason's red coloured lizard-like Pokémon slashed and jabbed at its foe with its razor sharp claws, each strike inflicted more damage to the weakened Dragon typed Pokémon which fell to one knee in an obvious sign of its fatigued state.

"Don't give up", Renn calmly stated in an almost stoic tone, "fight back with Sandstorm". Suddenly, the Cave Pokémon opened its mouth and a stream of dirt, rock and sand flew out of its mouth, these materials instantly formed a sandstorm that covered the field and instantly reduced visibility. Due to Charmeleon's proximity to the origin of the storm, it had been blinded by the sand which had caked over its eyes.

"Charmeleon!" Jason cried out in concern as he shielded his own eyes from the blistering torrent of sand. The Flame Pokémon aimlessly stumbled around as it desperately tried to get rid of the sand in its eyes that was impairing its vision, Renn's Gabite seized the opportunity to rise to its feet and prepare itself for another command.

"Finish him off with Dragon Claw" Renn ordered quickly as he realised that he could quickly seize the advantage. The Cave Pokémon charged across the field as its right claw emitted a bright blue colour. Gabite then quickly slashed its claw across the face of Jason's incapacitated Pokémon, instantly sending its crashing to the ground and instantly rendering it unconscious.

"_Charmeleon is unable to battle, Gabite is the winner!" _the referee declared.

* * *

><p>"Damnit, the battle is nearly over!" Josh muttered in an agitated tone as he collapsed into his seat. "Of course, we would have been here quicker if someone didn't insist on using me like a frickin' pack mule", he continued as he glared at Ash.<p>

"Don't blame me, it was Brock who _really _held us up, he couldn't help himself when he noticed that Nurse Joy sitting on that bench." Ash responded awkwardly holding his hands up in self-defence.

"Hey, she was all alone!" Brock protested, "Besides we weren't there that long! My Croagunk stabbed me in the behind and was dragged away from my one true love!"

"Oh come on", Josh chuckled, "they all look the same"

"That's not the point; you were the one who refused to ask for directions!" Brock retorted.

"We didn't need directions! We got there in the end didn't we?" The three males then continued their mini-argument going back and forth in assigning blame.

"Men", Dawn softly sighed as she shook her head in disbelief.

" '_lup"_, her Piplup agreed as it sat peacefully on her knee.

* * *

><p>"Ok, now it's time to bring out the Champ!" Jason called out loudly as he activated a Pokėball in his hand. He then lobbed the spherical object into the air; a Swampert then appeared out the ball and roared as it took its place on the battlefield. The Mud Fish Pokémon stood proudly as its large, cobalt blue body glistened in the sun.<p>

"_Begin!" _

"Swampert, use ice Beam!" Jason quickly called, his Pokémon eagerly responded and fired a beam of freezing blue coloured ice energy towards its foe.

"Evade and use Dragon Claw", Renn ordered, as his Pokémon used to superior speed to avoid the incoming attack, it then prepared itself to strike it foe.

"Not so fast!" Jason cried, "Swampert use Ice Punch!", the Mudfish Pokémon's fists instantly became coated in an ice-typed aura of energy, it then sent one swift, but powerful punch towards the incoming Gabite. The attack quickly found its mark, as Swampert's Ice Punch connected directly with the face of the blue coloured Dragon Pokémon, instantly knocking it out cold.

"_Whoa! That Swampert is powerful!" _Gerry exclaimed. As Renn stoically recalled his Pokémon back into its Pokėball.

"_Yeah, but everyone knows that while Swampert's are often powerful, they are often slow and cumbersome"_, Mitchell countered.

"Ok, there's only one option now" Renn calmly stated, "Scyther! Let's do this!" Renn called in an uncharacteristic outburst of emotion. The green coloured, bipedal insectoid creature baring large scythe-like extensions at the end of its arms appeared on the field after Renn had lobbed a Pokėball into the air.

"_Begin"_

"Scyther, use Agility", Renn quickly called, his Mantis Pokémon swiftly circled its much larger but slower foe, in doing so, the Pokemon had successfully sufficiently warmed up and had dramatically increased its speed.

"We ain't gonna stand for that!" Jason loudly declared, "Swampert use Earthquake!" Jason's Mud Fish Pokemon smashed its two fists into the ground with such force that it caused a tremor to dramatically shake the field.

"Take to the skies", Renn simply ordered, his Scyther immediately responded to this order and used its wings to swiftly propel itself into the air. "Now use Swords Dance", the silver haired trainer continued as his Pokémon sharpened its scythes in a ritualistic battle dance that significantly increased its attacking prowess.

"Ice Beam!" Jason bellowed hurriedly as he suddenly realised the severity of the situation he found himself in the battle as a result of Scyther's dramatically increased battle skills. Swampert fired another beam of frozen ice type energy towards its foe.

"Evade and strike with a Slash attack", Renn calmly ordered. The Mantis Pokémon easily avoided the incoming attack and then used its vastly superior speed to fly near its slower counterpart. As the Pokémon flew past its foe, it extended out one of its scythes which slashed across the chest which caused the Swampert to stumble back in pain. The Swampert clutched its chest in an effort to conceal a skin-deep, superficial laceration that had been formed as a direct result of its foe's attack.

"_Oh and there you have it, Scyther is using its speed advantage to great effect!" _Gerry exclaimed.

"Now use Aerial Ace". Renn's Scyther instantly flew directly up in the air and once again sped directly at its foe, this time, the Pokémon streamlined its body by folding in all of its appendages in an effort to increase its direct striking power. The Mantis Pokémon then flew directly into the injured chest, inflicting further damage which forced Jason's Pokémon to fall to one knee.

"Swampert!" Jason cried out in desperation.

"_Sheer power isn't always the answer, this Scyther is demonstrating that speed can be used effectively against much more powerful foes", _Mitchell stated.

"It's time to finish this, Scyther use Slash again" Renn ordered, still retaining his calm and restrained demeanour. Scyther once again sped towards its foe with the intent to quickly finish the battle.

"Swampert use Ice Beam!" Jason cried in a flustered attempt to somehow salvage his position in the battle. Swampert once again fired another beam of ice type energy in the sky towards the oncoming Scyther.

"Evade", Renn quickly responded as his Pokémon easily rolled and glided past the oncoming beam.

"Quick! Fire again! Keep firing!" Jason desperately yelled. His Pokémon responded to his hasty order and quickly fired several half-formed attacks wildly into the air.

"Use your speed to avoid them" Renn calmly ordered. His Scyther continued to use its superior agility to avoid the many beams of ice that were quickly being fired into its general direction, however the Pokémon began to noticeably tire from expending large amounts of stamina to avoid the attacks.

"That's it!" Jason shouted, "Swampert keep it up! It's getting tired!" Jason's Pokémon continued on its single minded strategy and continuously fired more beams of ice into the air. While Renn's Scyther managed to avoid the majority of them, one beam of ice struck the creature on the right wing and as a result partially froze it. As a consequence of this, the Scyther immediately lost its aerodynamic qualities and plummeted from the sky. "This is our chance! Use Ice Punch!" Jason roared as his Swampert thundered across the field as fast as it could to position itself underneath its foe which continued its fall to the ground. The Swampert then raised its ice-covered fist and punched Renn's Scyther in the back as it fell to ground. The green coloured predator was rendered unconscious by the attack even before it crashed into the ground.

"_Scyther is unable to battle, Swampert is the winner. The victor of this match is Jason Sorenson"_ the referee declared bringing the match to an end. The two trainers recalled their Pokemon and walked to the center of the field for post-match pleasantries.

"That was a great match buddy" Jason drawled in warm and welcoming tone as he extended his hand out for a handshake.

"It was" Renn said awkwardly, clearly unsure whether to accept Jason's handshake.

"My Swampert is a powerful Pokémon, but your Scyther certainly gave him a run for his money", Jason grinned.

"One day…" Renn stated as he shook Jason's hand, "… one day, we'll have a rematch and hopefully the result will be different", he continued as a small smile slowly appeared across his face.

"Don't count on it", Jason lightly chuckled as the two trainers left the field to a bout of applause from the audience.

* * *

><p>"I'm not crazy" Chris insisted as he paced throughout the apartment, as he twirled a kitchen knife in between his fingers. "I can't be crazy, I'm <em>not <em>crazy", he continued as he walked into the bathroom and set the knife in the sink. "Dear God", he muttered as he looked into the mirror, "I look awful", he sighed as he wiped sweat from his face. In addition to this, his usually white and pasty skin tone had seemingly paled beyond comprehension. His dirty blond coloured hair had been erratically styled by Chris constantly running his fingers through his hair. "I need to get out of this house, maybe some time with my Pokémon will help", the tall teen pulled an IPhone out of his pocket and began typing a text message.

_Hey Josh, I'll be at the park, usual place, show up if you want. _Chris typed before he scrolled through his contacts and sent the message. The teen then left the bathroom and entered his room where he quickly pulled on a replica Manchester United jersey and a pair of navy blue tracksuit bottoms. He then clipped his Pokėball belt around his waist, he then picked up a gold-plated Pokėball attached to a chain, a small smile appeared across his face as he clutched the sphere. "Pyro" he said softly, "we've been through a lot of shit together from the day I got you for my fifth birthday, to our first tournament in the Indigo League and then most recently victory in the Sinnoh Battle Frontier, we are brothers to the end", he sighed contently as he left the room. "Wait hang on", he said as he walked back into the room and walked over to the cabinet beside his bed, he briefly searched through the cabinet before he pulled out wooden box which he placed on his bed. "Can't forget these things", he remarked as he opened the box, he took out a ring-like device with a small gem attached to the top of it that he attached to his wrist. "Snug fit", he remarked as he then proceeded to lift a small, blue coloured gem-like stone with a purple streak running down through it, which he then attached to an extension from the device. "Ok", Chris sighed as he left his room for the second time, "let's do this".

**AN: **

**So what do you think? If you have any comment whether it be a nice comment or a death threat make sure you leave a review! Please! Do I have to beg? 'Cause I will, I'm that pathetic!**


	11. Rocket Trouble

**AN: Hello there loyal minions, it's been a while since I've updated and I apologise for that. The good news is that I'm off for summer vacation until September so I'll do my uttermost to update regularly.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter and then leave a review! **

Chapter 11: Rocket Trouble

"Are we there yet?" Ash whined, "I'm tired, my stomach is full, I can't move!" The group where moving through the outskirts of the forest that was situated not far from the stadium that the group had previously watched a battle in.

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that again, last time you pulled this you tried to use me as your own freaking horse", Josh responded, obviously not sympathetic with Ash's plight. "Besides, you were the one who kept eating at the stadium! You just had to go for more nachos!"

"Hey, I was hungry!" Ash loudly responded. "And you didn't answer my question".

"I have no idea if we are close; you know what Chris is like, he could be in the very depths of the forest".

"Why does Chris want us to be here anyway?" Brock asked.

"He claims to have calmed down", Josh responded, "Somehow I doubt it, but he insisted we come to the forest".

"What could he want?" Dawn questioned.

"I know my brother pretty well; he's probably pushing his Pokémon to the absolute limit in an intensive training session. He hates failure, heck, I'd say he fears failure and disappointment, therefore, he'll do anything to avoid a repeat of what he deems to be a failure".

"He's passionate, I'd give him that", Dawn muttered awkwardly as she clutched her Piplup close to her.

"Yeah well, he's a bit of a doofus, he'd waltz through hell just to say he could… wait hang on, does this ground feel hollow to anyone?" Josh asked as he contorted his face to show a bewildered expression.

"Yeah, now that you mention it…" Ash responded as he tapped his foot repeatedly on the ground to check its density.

"Ok, this is weird…" Brock mused.

"Yeah, wait…. Ahhhh!" Dawn screamed as the ground seemingly opened up underneath the feet of the group of trainers, who plummeted several meters into a deep hole in the ground.

"Dammit!" Josh seethed as he slowly got to his feet, "I think I broke my bloody elbow", he spat as he grabbed his right elbow. "What the hell happened?" He angrily questioned as the other three trainers got to their feet.

"Hello! Any help?" Dawn called out.

"We fell down here!" Ash bellowed.

"_Pi Pika!" _Ash's Pikachu cried.

"Prepare for trouble!" A feminine tone sang.

"Make it double!" A male voice continued.

"To protect the world with devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evil of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!" The female stated as she revealed herself to the trapped trainers. The trainer wore a short white shirt with a large, red R logo on it, with a white mini skirt and black stockings

"James!" The male voice continued as he too revealed himself to be a blue haired trainer who adorned a attire consisting of a white Team Rocket shirt and white pants.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth. Dat's right!" another voice with a stereotypical and over the top New Jersey accent declared as appeared beside Jessie and James and thus revealed itself to be a cream coloured feline-like Pokémon

"Team Rocket!" Ash, Dawn and Brock exclaimed

"Who?" Josh asked, the youthful teen was obviously unaware of the identity of the villainous trio.

"There's too much to explain but they are Pokémon thieves!" Brock explained.

"Enough talkin' you twoips, hand over Pikachu!" Meowth demanded.

"Never!"

"Fair enough, Weezing use Smokescreen!" James called as his Poison Gas Pokémon appeared out of seemingly nowhere, a cloud of thick, black smoke spewed out of the two mouths of the Pokémon that had two conjoined heads and spewed into the hole.

"You too Arbok! Use Haze! " Jessie ordered as the serpentine Cobra Pokémon appeared and sent further smoke into the hole.

"Dat's right you twoips! Team Rocket went back to its roots, and you aren't even worthy of an explanation! It doesn't even matter if seems illogical, we do what we want!" Meowth ranted.

"Meowth, calm down, we have a job to do", Jessie said seriously.

"Now for step two", James stated as he activated a large robotic arm that stood alone on a stand. "Now for Pikachu!" he exclaimed as the arm extended down through the smoke and immediately sought out Ash's Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Ash spluttered through the thick smoke as he felt the robotic arm violently snatch his Pikachu from his shoulders.

"_Pi Pikachu!" _the electric rodent cried as it was roughly hoisted out of the hole and into the air. The Pokemon then immediately unleashed a Thunderbolt attack in a desperate to free itself, which sent a massive streak of lightning into the air. However, the attack did absolutely nothing and the machine chucked the Pokémon in a clear, bulletproof container.

"Ha! You think we didn't think that through?" Meowth taunted with a sinister, sarcastic laugh.

"We've come to the realisation that we needed to construct all of our machines out of the finest insulating materials known to man!" James elaborated.

"That's right kids, science is important!" Jessie said to no one in particular.

"Hey, while we are at it, why don't we snag the twerpette's Piplup?" James asked.

"Excellent idea!" Meowth responded as he quickly reprogrammed the machine. "One penguin coming right up!" The mechanical arm once again extended into the hole and after a brief couple of seconds, it re-appeared with Dawn's Piplup in its grasp.

"Piplup!" Dawn loudly shrieked through the smoke. Much like Pikachu, the water type Pokemon was forcibly thrown into a container.

"Time to make our escape!" Meowth insisted.

"You got that right", Jessie responded, "I've got Pikachu", she continued as she picked out the container which had imprisoned Ash's valued partner.

"I've got Piplup", James said as he picked up the other container. The trio and their two Pokemon then ran deep into the forest.

* * *

><p>"Excellent" Chris muttered as he observed his Pokémon vigorously train and exercise. The blonde haired teen had found a relatively secluded opening in the forest where he immediately set his Pokémon to work. His Zorua, Caedus and his Buizel, Jet, were training together as they honed their ranged attack skills. The Zorua was practising its Shadow Ball attack by firing several of the spheres into a nearby tree while the Buizel fired a continuous Hydro Pump attack into the air. "Excellent work guys!" Chris called in encouragement. His attention then turned to his Nidoking which was called Gyru who was engaged in close personal combat training with his Kangaskhan, Ru. "Be rough but don't injure each other!" Chris yelled to his two powerful mammalian Pokémon. Meanwhile his Staraptor, Apache soared through the air above the other Pokémon as it practised several aerial attacks and manoeuvres. "Outstanding work!" Chris called.<p>

"_Char" _a voice growled in an agitated tone.

"No Pyro, I didn't forget about you", Chris responded as he turned to face his Charizard which raked its feet against the ground in frustration. Looking over his to Charizard, he mind was instantly flooded with nostalgic memories from the past from the first time he meet his starter on his fifth birthday to its final victory over Palmer's Dragonite in the Sinnoh Battle Frontier.

"_Zard!" _The Pokémon once again growled showing its frustration that Chris was barring him from training with the others.

"I know that you are anxious to train, I get that" Chris nodded sympathetically, "However, we are going to do something different", the teenager said as he raised his right arm revealing to Pyro the device attached to his wrist. "This is a Mega Ring…" he simply stated, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, blue coloured gem-stone, "and this is a Mega Stone".

"_Char, Chari-zard" _the Pokémon droned in confused tone.

"What do you mean this doesn't mean anything to you?" Chris asked in a somewhat surprised tone. "Do you have any idea what this thing is?"

"_Char" _the Flame Pokémon replied.

"This is called Charizardite X, it's an item that will expand your power even beyond our wildest dreams".

"_Charizard" _

"Where did I get it?" Chris chuckled trying to decipher the meaning of his Pokémon's responses, "I nearly damn well put myself into debt for the rest of my life acquiring this thing, all that prize money from Sinnoh is gone".

"_Zard" _thePokémon huffed as it crossed its arms.

"You mean how will this change you? I have no bloody idea, but I contacted Professor Rowan and he assured me that I'm incredibly fortunate for obtaining such a rare and potentially powerful item", Chris explained. "You ready to try this out?"

"_Charizard!" _the Pokémon roared in approval.

"It's not like you had any choice in the matter anyway." Chris chuckled, "Ok, I give this to you", Chris said as he placed the stone in the right paw of his Pokémon, the stone instantly emitted a bright light as it was instantly absorbed into the Charizard's body. "Okay, that was weird…" Chris stated in an exaggerated tone of voice. "Shall we continue?"

"_Char-i-zard" _his Pokémon replied with a nod.

"Ok, so I activate this and..." Chris droned as he activated his Mega Ring, "and…. Holy crap!" he bellowed as his Pokémon became shrouded in a bright flash of white aura. The aura eventually dissipated revealing that the Charizard had undergone a significant transformation, the Charizard's orange skin had been coloured a deep black cobalt colour with the addition of a blue coloured underbelly that ran from its jaw to the tip of its tail. The flame on the tip of the Charizard's tail burned in an intense blue colour. In addition to these changes, a constant stream of blue flames billowed out of either side of the Pokémon's mouth.

"_Charizard!" _the newly changed Pokémon roared in a tone of approval.

"Oh hell yeah!" Chris cried, "that was freaking amazing!", he continued as he pulled his black coloured Pokėdex and scanned his Pokémon.

"_Mega Charizard X, the Flame Pokémon…" _the Pokėdex intoned, "_and the Mega-Evolved form of Charizard". _

"Neat!" Chris cried enthusiastically as he read information from the device, "Wait hang on, it says here that in this form, you are a dual typed Fire and Dragon Pokémon", he continued as his eyes lit up with excitement, "this is awesome! Totally freaking awesome!"

Suddenly, a massive streak of lightning erupted up into the sky which was accompanied by faint screams in the distance.

"Better check that out", Chris muttered, "Ok, guys, return!" he called as he returned all of his Pokémon, bar Pyro, back into their Pokėballs. "Let's go!" he then hastily said as he hoisted himself onto his Charizard's back which then sped off into the air.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe it! We actually successfully stole Pikachu!" Jessie squealed in delight. The villainous Team Rocket trio were briskly walking through the forest as they were obviously in a hurry to escape the area and celebrate their victory. Both Piplup and Pikachu were desperately trying to free themselves from the containers that they had been entrapped, but their efforts were met with no avail<p>

"After all these years, we finally have our prize!" James replied in an equally joyous tone.

"Da hard times are over!" Meowth cheered.

"We'll eat like kings!" James declared.

"Maybe even a promotion for two from the boss!" Jessie cried. Suddenly, a wall of fire seemingly burst out of the ground and impeded the trio's journey.

"What's this all about then?" James questioned with a bemused expression.

"I don't know James, fire just doesn't randomly burst out of the ground", Jessie sarcastically muttered.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" An unfamiliar, deep, throaty voice interrupted with an almost mocking tone. The voice came from behind the trio and they promptly turned to greet the new arrival. The origin of the voice was a figure that sat on the back of a deep cobalt black coloured Charizard indicating that the Pokémon had an alternate colouration from its more traditional colour scheme. The figure wore a long black trench coat in addition to a black Stetson hat; the figure also wore black leather gloves over his hands. The clothing the figure wore almost completely obscured his physical features, leaving the villainous trio puzzled on the figure's identity.

"Who are you?" Jessie seethed.

"My name?" the figure questioned in a loud, booming tone, "I have many names and many identities. People, who are relatively close to me, call me Nathan. However, you may refer to me as Mr Moore".

"Yeah, and why would we do that?" James replied.

"I come to you with an offer of a lucrative…. Business arrangement", Nathan said in a somewhat hesitant tone. "As a sign of goodwill on your part, I request… wait, no, I demand that you release those two Pokémon that you have stolen." Nathan then pointed to Pikachu and Piplup who were still desperately trying to claw their way out of their containers.

"No way!" Meowth retorted in an angry tone, "this is our prize, we got them fair and square!"

"I observed you stealing those two Pokémon from a group of young trainers not so long ago, for the purposes of the arrangement I am about to offer you, it is vital that those two Pokémon return to their trainers."

"No! This Pikachu is ours!" Jesse shrieked.

"Fair enough", Nathan snorted, he then turned his head towards a bushline a few feet away. When he turned his head, he inadvertently showed part of his hideously scarred face to the trio which caused the Team Rocket trio to recoil in shock. "Shinobi, fetch" .Suddenly a large, bipedal, frog-like Pokémon appeared from the bushes and quickly snatched the two containers before Team Rocket could react. The Pokémon, a Greninja, had dark blue coloured legs, furthermore large white bubbles had formed on its legs and arms. A large, projecting dark blue stripe ran down the middle of its head, and its mouth was hidden behind a large, pink tongue that wrapped around its neck and extended outward behind its head.

"Hey give that back!" James cried. The Greninja ignored James' plea and placed the two containers holding the two captured Pokémon at Nathan's feet. Nathan bent down and opened the containers and freed the Pokémon.

"Return to your trainer's, little ones, this is no place for you", he simply said.

"_Pi, pika"_, Ash's Pikachu nodded before running off into the forest with Piplup following close behind.

"Now, about that business arrangement…" Nathan snorted in a serious, ominous tone. "I have altered what I am about to offer you, pray that I do not alter it further".

* * *

><p>"Pikachu!" Ash called out in vain desperation.<p>

"Ash, shouting isn't going to get us out of this hole, here, give me a boost up", Josh said in a deeply frustrated tone. Suddenly, a rope dropped down into the hole.

"Anybody down there?" Chris called from the top of the hole.

"It's Chris!" Dawn cried in delight.

"Chris, it's us!" Brock shouted, "Can you give us a hand?"

"Guys! What are you doing down there?" Chris replied, "hold onto the rope, I'll pull you out!" Ash, Brock, Dawn and Josh each grabbed onto the rope, and Chris, with his Charizard's help, managed to haul them out of the hole.

"Have you seen Pikachu?" Ash pleaded as he ran around in circles in an attempt to find his friend.

"Piplup!" Dawn cried out.

"What happened?" Chris asked with an inquisitorial expression on his face.

"We were ambushed by a group of Pokémon thieves called Team Rocket", Brock explained. "Ash's Pikachu and Dawn's Piplup are missing".

"Wait, Team Rocket?" Chris seethed clenching his fists; the tall teen was visibly angry at the mere mention of the organisation, "Which way did they go! We need to go after them!"

"We don't know where they headed off to; it'd be a wild goose chase. We need to go to the police", Josh commented.

"Hey wait, you hear that?" Ash called out as he stopped desperately running around.

"I didn't hear anything", Dawn replied.

"No, no, I definitely heard something… it sounded like…"

"_Pi Pika Pikachu!"_ Ash's Electric Mouse Pokémon cried as it emerged from the forest.

"Pikachu!"Ash exclaimed as the Pokémon jumped into his arms, "I was so worried".

"Piplup!" Dawn squealed as her penguin Pokémon appeared from the same area Pikachu had emerged from.

"Well that was lucky", Josh remarked.

"Pikachu and Piplup have been through this before; they sure know their way out of a sticky explanation. Hopefully, Pikachu shocked Team Rocket into oblivion for what they did today".

"Yeah…", Chris simply remarked as he watched on jealously while Ash and Dawn high-fived each other. "Why do they always do that? Why do they constantly high five each other?" Chris said as he quickly looked to Brock for an answer.

"It's just their 'thing'; they've been doing it pretty much ever since they met, its sign of how strong their friendship is", Brock explained.

"Yeah, they are certainly good friends", Chris muttered as Ash and Dawn walked back towards him.

"Thanks for helping us out Chris!" Dawn cheered with a warm smile.

"Oh, it was nothing", Chris nervously insisted with a blush and a very awkward smile.

"It must have been hard pulling us out of that hole", Ash remarked as he petted his Pikachu on the head.

"Nah, it was nothing, this monster here did most of the work", Chris chuckled with a grin while pointing at his Charizard.

"That's a Charizard?" Ash remarked, "It looks different".

"Yeah, I was meaning to ask about that as well", Josh declared, "Ok, what did you do to him, he's coloured different and there's blue fire coming out of his mouth, you didn't inject him with something, did ya?" The younger Moore brother continued as he walked around Chris' Pokémon.

"Well you can say that", Chris stated with a cocky grin, "take a look at this", he then said as he showed off the Mega Ring around his wrist.

"What's that?" Brock asked in a bewildered tone at the appearance of the device.

"This, my good friend, is a Mega Ring". Chris replied, in a very cool and self-assured tone.

"What does it do?" Ash asked in an excited tone.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure, a good friend of mine recommended purchasing one, I managed to buy one a few weeks ago before I got here, I only got the chance to try it out today", Chris explained as he leaned against his Pokémon. "Well, I activated this thing", he said holding up the device, "and give a thing called a Mega Stone to Pyro, and this then caused the radical transformation you see right now", he then finished with an even bigger self-confident expression plastered on his face.

"I want a battle!" Ash declared. Causing the entire group to look at him incredulously.

"You think you can keep up with him?" Chris responded in a very cocky tone, "My Charizard is the most powerful Pokémon I've ever encountered, this Mega-Evolution must have at least doubled its power", Chris bragged almost brushing off Ash's challenge.

"I have my own Charizard, let me go and make some phone calls and I'll get him over here, and then I want to battle you! Please!" Ash pleaded in a near desperate tone, "I'm always looking for a new challenge!"

"Fair enough, seeing you asked so nicely", Chris warmly said with his cocky smile still smeared across face.

"Come on Pikachu!" Ash called as he ran off towards the nearest Pokémon Center, "We have an old friend to meet!"

**AN: **

**Yes, Team Rocket is back! With their old Pokémon and motto!**

**Before you ask, yes, Ash and Chris will go head to head with their respective Charizard's in their next chapter. **

**Chris has a Mega Charizard X, so who gets Mega Charizard Y, I wonder who it could be ;)**

**Finally, be on the lookout for a few fic that'll be a collection of one-shots that will detail several character's backstories.**

**See you all real soon!**


	12. Learning a Lesson

**AN: Hello there loyal readers/reviewers/ trolls! Sorry for the long delay, but the truth is that life has been a bit complicated over the last few months for me. I'll spare the details, but the good news is that everything seems to be on the right track again. For the obvious reasons, excuse the length of the chapter, I just wanted to get right back into the flow of things.**

**I am also aware that I have a backlog of private messages to respond to from various people, I apologise for seeming rude, but I'll respond back to you as soon as humanely possible. **

**And without further ado, enjoy (or try to enjoy) the chapter! And as always, leave a review to tell me what you think! **

Chapter 12: Learning a Lesson.

"Professor Oak!" Ash cried in between laboured breaths. The Pokémon trainer had sprinted straight to the nearest Pokémon Center non-stop from the forest and was clearly out of breath. The teenager had found the nearest video-phone with a Pokémon transfer machine and had immediately contacted his mentor.

"To what do I owe the pleasure my boy?" The aging Pokémon Professor responded with a warm smile. The Professor was wearing his signature white lab coat, but it was clear the effects of age was beginning to take its toll on him due to the appearance of multiple wrinkles on his skin.

"I… need… to send…." Ash excitedly panted, clearly still trying to regain his composure.

"Calm down my boy", the Professor chuckled, "slow down, take a breather and tell me what you need".

"I'm going to send one of my Pokémon back to the lab, I going to contact Liza from Charicific Valley; I want Charizard back on my team."

"Ok, sure thing, place a Pokėball on the transfer mat and send me over a Pokémon of your choosing", Professor Oak replied.

"Ok, I'll send over Staraptor", Ash nodded as he unclipped his Pokémon's ball from his belt and placed it into the machine. "Ok Professor, I'm sending him over now", he continued as he programmed the machine to send the Pokėball back to the lab.

"Ok, I'll make sure Staraptor feels right at home here".

"Thanks Professor", Ash responded with a warm smile.

"Oh and Ash, may I ask, why do need to retrieve your Charizard?" The Professor asked rubbing his chin.

"Well, as you know, I'm competing in the Pokémon World League, and I've made a number of new friends", Ash said which caused the Professor to nod. "But one of my new friends is called Chris, he seems to be a very strong trainer, and he also has this Charizard which has undergone what he says is a 'Mega Evolution'".

"Did you say a Mega Evolution?" The Professor spluttered in an incredulous tone.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I said", Ash deadpanned.

"Why I haven't seen a Mega Evolution since your fath…" the old man replied before quickly realising his mistake.

"Since who?" Ash replied, obviously interested in what the Professor had almost said.

"Never mind", the Professor sighed.

"Oh ok", Ash said in a disappointed tone.

"Hey Ash", the Professor said obviously trying to change the subject, "I have in my possession a number of Mega Stones, I have no need for them anymore, I'm going to gift them to you".

"Really? Ash said, his face instantly lighting up in a smile.

"Yeah, you deserve it, I also have a Mega Ring here, but it would be impossible for me to send it over, so I'll have to send a courier to you".

"Thanks Professor!" Ash cheered.

"I'll have Gary give it to you when he returns back to Celebration Isle", the Professor replied with a warm nod.

"Wait, did you say Gary? Is Gary here? Is Gary competing in the tournament?" Ash asked excitedly, obviously relishing the chance of facing his oldest rival.

"Yes", the Professor chuckled, "he's competing in the tournament, but he briefly returned to Pallet Town to deal with some personal matters, but he'll be back soon".

"That's awesome!" Ash cheered, "Ok Professor, I need to get going here, I'll talk to you soon, tell my mum I said hi".

"Sure thing, see you soon Ashy-boy".

"Ok Pikachu, now we need to contact Liza", Ash said to his Pikachu who was perched on its usual place on his shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Ok Charizard, I choose you!" Ash cried as he lobbed his Flame Pokémon's ball into the air. It had only taken Ash a few minutes to contact Liza and eventually have his Charizard. The trainer from Pallet Town had instantly walked out to the field behind the Pokémon Center which lay completely empty. A huge smile flickered across his face as his mind instantly filled with nostalgic memories from his past with Charizard. The memory of Charizard defeating the legendary bird Articuno was prominent in the mind of the teenager, Chris' claim of having the most powerful Pokémon in existence could have easily been disputed by Ash's Charizard.<p>

"_Zard!"_ The Pokémon roared as it appeared in front of Ash in a brilliant flash of white energy.

"Charizard!" Ash cried as he hugged his Pokémon,

"_Pi Pika!"_ Pikachu squeaked in delight at the sight of his former teammate.

"It's good to have you back", Ash warmly stated as his released his Pokémon from his hug.

"_Char!"_ The Pokémon howled in cheer approval of his trainer's statement.

"Ok Charizard, I need your help with something", Ash said in a rather serious tone, "I have a friend who claims to have the most powerful Charizard in existence."

"_Zard"_, the Pokémon snorted arrogantly.

"I know, I know", Ash answered with a chuckle and an awkward wave; "You and I both know that you are the strongest. So what do you say? How about we challenge that claim by battling and beating them!"

"_Char-i-zard!"_ The Pokémon roared in approval.

"Ok then, let's go!" Ash enthusiastically cheered, the teenager quickly recalled his Pokémon back to its ball. The teenager then ran through the Pokémon Center to begin his journey back to the forest.

"Hey! No running!" Nurse Joy chided in a motherly tone as Ash sped past the front desk of the building.

"It's ok, I'm watching where I'm goi…." Ash confidently stated before he was interrupted mid-sentence as he ran head first into a door. "Whoa, that hurt", Ash groaned as he clutched his head in agony.

"Are you ok kid?" A deep, but almost monotonous voice asked with a tinge of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine", Ash muttered as he looked up to the source of the voice. Ash immediately noticed that the man wore a red hat with a Pokėball emblem, in addition to this, the man wore a red coloured jacket with a white collar. Underneath this jacket he wore a blue t-shirt that complemented his blue coloured cargo pants. However, the most striking aspect of the man's appearance was the near exact resemblance to Ash, right down to the same hair colour, eye colour and facial features.

"Are you sure?" The man once again asked as he looked directly into Ash's eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine", Ash insisted, "thanks for your concern but I need to leave now", Ash continued as he walked out to the door.

"That kid… he looked exactly like…" the man muttered in a state of near shock, "… it can't be"

"Excuse me, Red? Your Pokémon are fully healed", Nurse Joy called.

* * *

><p>It hadn't taken Ash long to return back to the area of the forest where he had left the others. He immediately noticed that the others had let their Pokémon out of their Pokėballs. Dawn had her Mamoswine, Togekiss, Buneary, Cyndaquil, Pachirisu and Piplup arranged in a line, the group of Pokemon simultaneously fired a ranged attack into the air. Nearby to Dawn, Josh had released his Gallade and Luxio from their Pokėballs and the two Pokémon were engaged in a sparring match with Brock's Sudowoodo acting as a referee. Chris and Brock were quietly talking to each other while Chris' Charizard soared above them in the sky.<p>

"Ok, I'm back!" Ash declared, "I'm ready for our battle!*, he then cried as he ran as quickly as he could up to Chris.

"Excellent!" Chris bellowed, "Let's get this show on the road! Brock, could you please do the honours and act as the referee?"

"Sure thing", Brock said with a smile. The olive skinned teenager then quickly found a suitable spot to observe the battle from, "Ok guys, let's remember to keep it clean, we don't want any unnecessary injuries."

"Don't worry, this battle won't last that long, there's no need to be concerned about injuries", Chris said with a smug and cocky smile. The tall, blonde haired teenager had taken up his position on the right hand side of the field while Ash had occupied the opposite side. Meanwhile, Josh and Dawn had found their own suitable positions to watch the battle from.

"Don't be so sure", Ash insisted.

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing, buddy", Chris replied in a very patronising tone while he gave Ash an over-exaggerated wink. "Ok, Pyro, let's do this thing!" He then called out to his Pokémon, which instantly landed by Chris' side.

"Charizard! I choose you!" Ash cried as he lobbed a Pokėball up into the air which in turn released his Charizard onto the field. Ash's Charizard then immediately made eye contact with Chris' Charizard, and with a loud, angry roar, he immediately charged across the field towards Chris and his Pokémon.

"Whoa, whoa, what the hell?" Chris bellowed as he stepped in front of his Pokémon to stop Ash's Charizard from prematurely attacking him.

"Pull up! Charizard, what are you doing?" Ash shouted. With an angry roar, Ash's Charizard eventually, but obviously reluctantly obeyed its trainer's orders and return to its trainer's side but it glared hatefully at Chris and his Pokémon.

"What the hell is this all about Ash? That thing is a bloody psycho!" Chris shouted in anger.

"I don't know!" Ash awkwardly responded, "He's never been this angry!"

"He's telling the truth Chris, his Charizard hasn't been like this sinc…" Brock commented.

"Hold on", Chris interrupted with a defiant wave of his hand, "I think I know what's wrong".

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ash asked nervously.

"I think I know this Charizard" Chris muttered as he walked across the field towards Ash and his Pokémon, which in turn caused Ash's Charizard to roar in anger. "Ash, are you familiar with Charicific Valley?"

"Yeah, up until today my Charizard was living there temporarily to undergo special training", Ash replied with a nod.

"Ah ha!" Chris cried, "I knew that I recognised this Charizard! Hey, Pyro, remember this guy?" Chris then called back to his own Pokémon who roared in confirmation.

"I don't get it", Ash said as he scratched the back of his head.

"I recognise this Charizard because I have spent some time at Charicific Valley training with Pyro. However there was always this one Charizard who constantly battled with us, Pyro won some matches, your Charizard won some matches. Simply put, our two Charizards hate each other, and they are damn near prepared to rip each other limb from limb"

"Then I'm not too sure if we should go through with this battle then"

"Nonsense!" Chris responded, "Pokémon get stronger through battling, there's no going back now. We need to battle!"

"What am I talking about? Of course! I never back down from a challenge!"

"So we are good then?" Chris said as he returned to his side of the field.

"Of course!"

"Ok then, begin!" Brock called out.

"Ok Charizard, let's start this off with a Flamethrower!" Ash called out, with a roar, the Flame Pokémon fired a massive stream of flames towards its foe.

"Pyro, respond in kind with your own Flamethrower", Chris coolly responded. Pyro then released its own torrent of blue coloured flames towards the opposing Charizard. The two attacks met in the center of the field, but Pyro's Flamethrower attack easily dissipated its foe attack.

"This is an utter mis-match" Josh whispered to Dawn.

"What do you mean?"

"Take a look at Ash's Charizard, it stands in at about 5 foot 9, now look at Chris' one, its much taller than bulkier than the average one. Even still, Ash's Charizard may be powerful, but Pyro is on a different level and when you factor in the Mega-Evolution, Ash has no chance"

"Battling is more than just sheer power", Dawn responded in a serious tone.

"We'll see about that", Josh arrogantly snorted.

"Ok, Charizard, let's strike back with Dragon Tail!" Ash quickly ordered, the tail of his lizard-like Flame Pokémon started to glow a bright blue colour, the Charizard then took to the air and prepared itself to attack its foe.

"Screw that, counter with Dragon Claw!" Chris barked, in response to this order, the claws of his Pokémon started to glow, signalling that an attack was being prepared.

"Quick Charizard, strike now!"

"Not so fast, Pyro, hit him!" Unfortunately for Ash, Chris' Pokémon undoubtedly proved to be the quicker and most agile of the two creatures. Therefore, Pyro was able to rake its claws across its foe's body before Ash's Charizard had the opportunity to mount its own attack. "Face it Ash, my Charizard is both faster and more powerful than yours", Chris taunted in a very cocky and arrogant tone as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Battling is more than just sheer power", Ash insisted in a deeply defiant tone.

"We'll see about that", Chris chuckled, "Pyro, let's turn up the heat with a Flamethrower!"

"Dodge!" Ash hastily retorted, Ash's Charizard then gracefully dodged the incoming attack by soaring into the sky. "Great!" Ash cheered, "Now use Wing Attack".

"Not so fast, keep him away with Flamethrower" Chris calmly countered, his Charizard fired another stream of lava hot flames towards its oncoming foe which caused it to evade the attack and lose its own attack trajectory.

"Try again with Wing Attack!"

"Don't you have a Plan B? Come on Ash, you are far too predictable, Pyro, use Dragon Pulse" Chris snorted, yet another smirk appeared across his pale white face. In response to this order, Chris' Charizard fired a blue pulse of Dragon-typed energy from its mouth.

"Evade!" Ash cried, but the sheer speed and velocity of Pyro's attack was so intense that the Charizard was unable to avoid the attack. The pulse of Dragon typed energy scored a direct hit on Ash's Flame Pokémon, the resulting damage caused the Pokémon to lose altitude from its position in the air.

"Once again Ash, you've learnt nothing" Chris once again taunted in a mocking tone, "Pyro lets finish this off with an Aerial Ace!" Pyro responded to its trainer's orders by flying at Mach speed towards its opponent.

"Flamethrower!" Ash countered, his Charizard instinctively fired a stream of lava-hot fire towards its incoming foe who easily evaded the attack.

"Finish it" Chris calmly ordered, his cocky body language remained unchanged; it was obvious that the teen was completely confident in his own abilities.

"Charizard, catch him and use Seismic Toss!" Ash hastily ordered, his Charizard took the force of Pyro's Aerial Ace attack head-on, but the Flame Pokémon also managed to wrap its arms around Chris' Pokémon. "All right!" Ash cheered, "Let's do it!"

"Don't you ever learn Ash?" Chris bellowed, "Pyro, reverse this and use your own Seismic Toss!" Chris' own Charizard easily broke the grip that Ash's Pokémon had on him. Pyro then grabbed its foe around the abdomen and soared into the sky.

"No! Charizard!" Ash cried.

"Too late Ash!" Chris triumphantly responded with a fist pump, "Pyro, finish it!" From its elevated position in the air, Pyro began a free-fall back down to earth with Ash's Charizard still firmly in its grasp. Just before colliding with the ground, Pyro released its grip of its foe and pulled out of its steep dive while Ash's Pokémon was left to crash into the ground. It was clear that the sheer force of the impact had knocked the Charizard out cold.

"Ash's Charizard is unable to battle!" Brock declared, "Chris' Charizard is the winner!"

"I win! Victory is mine!" Chris cheered with an arrogant grin. "Excellent work Pyro, take a nice rest", he then said as he returned his mega-evolved Charizard back into its Pokėball.

"Good work Charizard, you tried your best" Ash softly stated while he returned his own fallen Pokémon back into its Pokėball.

"Hard luck buddy", Chris said, suddenly appearing in front of Ash, "but did you learn a lesson?"

"I don't get it, what do you mean?" Ash responded.

"Well Ash, it was clear that my Charizard utterly outclassed your one. As I said before, prior to me gaining the means to mega-evolve Pyro, our two Pokémon where evenly matched. However, due to the power boost that mega-evolution gives Pyro, we have a clear advantage. What's worse is that you tried to out-power my Charizard and you paid for it."

"My Charizard is strong, strength is his greatest asset", Ash replied.

"And that's fine, your Charizard is indeed powerful", Chris nodded, "but what happens when you are out-powered or out-gunned? You need a back-up plan".

"Like counter-shield!" Dawn chirped as the other's approached where Ash and Chris where standing.

"Yeah!" Ash cheered, "I nearly forgot about that!"

"Hang on, what's 'counter-shield'?" Chris interrupted in a serious tone.

"It's a defensive tactic , that uses an attack to create separation between your Pokémon and an opponent. Attacks like Water Gun or Flamethrower are really effective!" Dawn responded, with a tinge of self-pride in her words. "I showed Ash how to use it effectively!"

"Interesting", Chris mused. "why don't you demonstrate this thing to me in your match tomorrow?"

"I have a match tomorrow?" Ash innocently asked.

"Oh Ash", Dawn chuckled, "you are so dense".

* * *

><p>"I take it that everything is going according to plan", a gruff voice asked as he entered a conference room. The figure was dressed in an immaculate suit with well gelled hair; he took his seat around a large oak table where other people sat around with their attention fixed on a video screen mounted onto a wall. The video was a live satellite feed showing a large, seemingly industrial complex in the middle of the Orre desert.<p>

"Yes, the 'package' is in place".

"And by 'package', I assume you mean the suitcase nuke we supplied to the Pokémon Liberation Organisation", the first speaker responded in a matter of fact tone. "And I assume you are all familiar with the plan", the figure then stated as he stood up and addressed the rest of the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, today, the world changes forever. Our sting operation was a rousing success, the authorities found one of the nuclear devices, while the other has been handed over to this particular terrorist group. We have sabotaged the nuke in the PLO's possession, which is now deep underground in that facility you see on the screen, and we will be able to remotely detonate it. This means that we will be able to wipe out a dangerous terrorist faction in one fell swoop."

"And that's not all", another deep raspy voice said as he stood up, "with the detonation of a nuclear device in Orre, the government will have the excuse for a military intervention in Orre. This will have the added effect of shoring up our business interests in the Orre oilfields".

"For the Grand Order!" the first voice cried as he extended his right arm into the air.

"Deus vult!" the others in the room chanted.

**AN: **

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! This rivalry between the two Charizard's is far from over, and I wonder if Ash can level the playing field? :P**

**The next chapter will have the entire second round of group battles of the main characters. I realise that while this may be an unpopular decision, it is vital that I continue the plot of this fic as quickly as possible before my University semester begins again.**

**Inb4 flame reviews**


	13. Round 2, Part 1

**AN: Remember how last time I said entire second round of battles would be in one chapter? Well yeah, I lied. If you've been reading my fic long enough, you'll know I have the awful tendency to say one thing and do another. **

**Don't worry, my intentions are pure, I wanted to split the chapter in two for reasons that'll be clear soon. **

**ANNOUNCEMENT: I've been increasingly frustrated by people constantly asking for me to use their OC's despite the fact that they've never reviewed a chapter. From further on, I'll only accept OC submissions via PM ONLY. I will also be enacting a "NO REVIEW, NO OC" policy, meaning that if you don't actively review my fic your OC will not be used. **

**This may seem like an incredibly harsh measure but there are plenty of people who have been waiting patiently for their OC to appear and are reviewing constantly. Priority will now go to them. **

**And to all my loyal readers and reviewers, YOU GUYS ROCK!**

Chapter 13: Round 2, Part 1

"_Welcome back ladies and gentlemen to this Group I match between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Philip Levin from Chicago, Illinois! Here's a quick recap if you have missed the battle so far; Ash's Torterra managed to defeat Philip's Zebstrika, who was then subsequently defeated by Philip's second Pokémon, a Noctowl. As a result, Ash used his Buizel to beat the Noctowl, but Philip countered and unleashed his Hydreigon who eventually defeated Ash's Pokémon." _

"Ok Pikachu, are you ready for this?" Ash said softly as he knelt down on his knees to communicate with his partner.

"_Pi-Pikachu!"_ the Electric Mouse Pokémon confidently responded.

"Ok then, let's do it!" Ash cheered as his most trusted Pokémon ran onto the field. _"Ideally Charizard would be the best choice here"_, Ash mused while biting his bottom lip, the raven-haired trainer lamented the injury that his Charizard had sustained in the battle with Chris the day before. The injury wasn't serious, but he had been advised by Nurse Joy not to use Charizard in a battle for at least a few days.

"_Ketchum goes with his Pikachu!" _Mitchell exclaimed, _"this will surely be an interesting battle!"_

Ash gazed across the battlefield towards his opponent, Philip Levin had proved to be a worthy adversary despite his fairly ordinary attire of a simple blue t-shirt, a pair of blue denim jeans and black sneakers. A small, but self-confident smile radiated across the relatively pale face of the trainer who sported shortly cut brown hair which complemented his hazel coloured eyes. Ash's attention then turned to his opponent's Pokémon, a Hydreigon, which was native to the far-off region of Unova. The creature was unlike anything that Ash had ever encountered before. The Hydreigon was a three-headed, draconic Pokémon with six thin, black wings on its back. On the creature's neck a fuchsia-coloured collar surrounded its main head. The main head was a dark blue colour and its eyes were a deathly black colour with fuchsia pupils. Its hands were also black in colour and harbour a head in each one; these heads were similarly blue with black eyes. Its feet appeared to be atrophied, having no claws or defined soles and two or three small toes.

"_This Pokemon sure is powerful; it took Buizel's Aqua Jet and Ice Punch and barely flinched! I'll have to be super-careful"_, Ash internally reasoned.

"Ok, begin!" The referee declared.

"Ok Hydreigon", Philip drawled in a fairly typical mid-western accent, "Use Dragon Pulse", each of the Pokémon's three heads fired trio of blue hued orbs towards its much smaller foe.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack to dodge!" Ash quickly ordered, Pikachu easily avoided the oncoming attack by briefly stockpiling energy before using the it to sprint away from the attack. "Yes!" Ash cheered, "Now use Quick Attack again and hit him!" Ash's Pikachu then used its momentum to propel itself towards its foe.

"Not so fast, catch him with Crunch!" Philip commanded, his Brutal Pokémon caught the incoming Pikachu with the mouth of its main head. The dual typed Dragon/Dark Pokémon then used its impressive jaw to bite the small, seemingly frail body of Pikachu, which caused the Pokémon to emit a painful cry.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to loosen his grip!" Ash called, in response, his Pokémon discharged a large amount of electricity, however unfortunately for the Pallet Town native; his opponent's Pokémon seemed to be unfazed by the attack.

"Send him crashing to the ground", Philip calmly ordered as he sought to seize the momentum and quickly end the match. Upon this command, the Hydreigon released its hold on the small Pokémon which left Pikachu to collide into the ground with a sick thud.

"_Oh! That gotta hurt!" _Gerry exclaimed.

"Now use Body Slam!" Philip quickly ordered with a tone of urgency, his Pokémon briefly took to the sky before free-falling to the ground with the intent to use its body as a weapon against the vulnerable Pikachu.

"Pikachu dodg…" Ash attempted to command. However, his sentence was cut short due to the speed and velocity of Hydreigon's attack which had successfully used its heavy body to collide into the helpless Pikachu.

"Come in for another pass, finish him off", Philip stoically ordered. His powerful Pokémon once again soared into the sky, however this time the movement of the Hydreigon was noticeably slower than its previous attempt.

"_Hang on here folks, Philip's Hydreigon is moving at a much slower pace! What's going on here?" _Mitchell questioned.

"_It's Pikachu's ability, static!" _Gerry cried, _"it's a well-known fact that exposure to electric Pokémon's skin can often lead to paralysis. It seems that this Hydreigon has suffered this unfortunate side-effect!" _

"Static huh?" Ash muttered, "Pikachu use Quick Attack to evade!" Ash then quickly ordered. His Pikachu suddenly jumped to its feet and used its superior speed to easily avoid the oncoming attack. As a result, the Brutal Pokémon was left to crash into open ground, which inflicted a large amount of damage.

"_The momentum has shifted!" _Mitchell exclaimed.

"Yes!" Ash cheered with fist pump, "Hit him with another Quick Attack!"

"Grab him again with Crunch!" Philip bellowed, Ash's Pikachu sped across the field, but once again, the Dragon-typed Pokémon easily grabbed the small Pikachu with its mouth.

"Oh no, not again!" Ash groaned.

"Squeeze him and then use Body Slam again", the Hydreigon briefly clamped with its teeth on the Pikachu which caused the Electric Mouse Pokémon to squeal as a result of the pain inflicted upon it. Then, the Pokémon released its hold on the Pikachu before once again soaring into the sky.

"_Come on, think, you were in this position yesterday in the battle with Chris, the only solution is…" _

"Counter Shield!" Ash cried in desperation. Suddenly his Pikachu began to spin around in a continuous rotation on its back while also firing a continuous Thunderbolt attack into the air. The intention of Ash's strategy was immediately successful; the opposing Hydreigon was stopped from attacking its smaller foe.

"Come on, you can break through it!" Philip insisted, his Pokémon attempted to break through the electric barrier by flying at full speed into it. However, this tactic proved to be futile as it only inflicted damage to the dragon Pokémon. "Well that's not going to work", Philip stated with an obvious tone of frustration in his voice. "Use Dragon Pulse!" For the second time in the match, the trio of Hydreigon's heads simultaneously fired three orbs of Dragon-typed energy towards its foe.

"Use Iron Tail to knock it back!" Ash cried, the Electric Mouse Pokémon instantly jumped to its feet, then the lightning bolt shaped tail of the Pikachu began to glow a bright, grey colour. "Ok, knock them back now!" Ash bellowed, Pikachu then used its tail to deflect each of the oncoming orbs right back in the direction of Philip's Hydreigon.

"Dodge!" Philip roared, his Pokémon managed to avoid two of the re-deflected orbs, however much to the trainer's misfortune; the last orb which Pikachu had sent back struck the Brutal Pokémon and inflicted more damage which caused the creature to momentarily lose its composure.

"Now is our chance!" Ash shouted with a very enthusiastic tone and a fist-pump, "use Volt Tackle!"

"_Pi-pi-pi! Pika!" _Pikachu cried as it charged across the field, its body become coated a large amount of electricity that sent sparks flying around its body.

"Hydreigon counter with Dragon Rush! Meet him head on!" The Hydreigon responded to its trainer's command by surrounding itself in a blue hued energy before speeding towards the Pikachu.

"Ok Pikachu, full power!" Ash cheered, his Pikachu continued its full speed charge towards the Hydreigon who was equally fearless in its approach towards the Pikachu. The two Pokémon collided head first, which resulted in a small explosion due to the velocity of the impact. As a result, the view of the battlefield for the spectators, commentators and even the trainers was obscured.

"_What happened!" _Mitchell yelled, _"nothing could have survived that! This match is surely a draw!" _

"_Don't be so sure, this is the Pokémon World League, this is where the big boys play, the Pokémon here are of the highest quality"_, Gerry replied in a reasoned and measured tone to his over excited broadcasting partner.

Back on the battlefield both the Pokémon had been knocked completely off their feet and both creatures lay prone on the battlefield floor seemingly rendered unconscious by the previous collision that had clearly inflicted massive damage. Just as the referee was about to declare the match a draw, both Pokémon began to slowly, but surely, rise to their feet.

"Come on Hydreigon! Use Body Slam!" Philip cried in desperation, however much to the shock of the Chicago native, his Pokémon was seemingly incapable of moving.

"_That paralysis has returned to haunt Hydreigon! Thanks to Pikachu's ability, it can't move!" _Mitchell said, as he explained the painfully obvious.

"Ok Pikachu, this is our chance, finish it with Iron Tail!" Ash quickly commanded, realising that he could finally bring the battle to its conclusion. His Pikachu despite noticeably limping due to the effects of the previous collision, managed to make its way across the field. Once the small but immensely powerful reached its target, the Pikachu managed to encase its tail in a rock-hard aura that increased the density of the tail by a factor of a hundred. Finally, the Pikachu leapt into the air and brought its tail squarely down on the main head of the Brutal Pokémon, instantly rendering it unconscious.

"Hydreigon is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner, and the match goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" The referee called with a definitive wave of his flag.

"All right! You did it Pikachu!" Ash cheered while he ran onto the field. The Pikachu instantly jumped into his trainer's arms and the two embraced. "You were awesome Pikachu, I owe you one". The titantron above the battlefield suddenly sprung to life and confirmed Ash's victory, the screen then showed the updated Group 1 group table which read:

_Ash Ketchum: 6 points  
>Flint: 6 points <em>

_Philip Levin: 0 points _

_Harrison: 0 points_

"We did it Pikachu, we qualified for the next round!" Ash cried with pride,"our battle with Flint won't officially mean anything, but we'll do our best!"

"_Pi-Pika!" _his Pikachu cried in agreement.

* * *

><p>"Ok Piplup, use Whirlpool!" Dawn cried, the small blue coloured penguin formed a cone shaped, spiralling vortex of water towards the opposing Donphan, the Ground typed Pokémon was caught in the center of the attack and had been knocked out by the effects of the super-effective attack.<p>

"Donphan is unable to battle! Piplup is the winner!" the referee declared, "both trainers are now down to their last Pokémon!"

"_That's right folks, Dawn has finally brought this battle down to a one-on-one, this is despite being on the wrong side of the battle since the outset. Her Buneary was easily defeated by Tyson's dominant Sceptile who was in turn defeated by the Twinleaf Town native's Mamoswine. However, Tyson regained the momentum by unleashing his Donphan who defeated its much larger opponent by utilising a Defence Curl/Rollout combo before Dawn's Piplup finally ended the rampage"_. Mitchell summarised.

"Ok, Meowth, let's do this!" Tyson lobbed a Pokėball in the air which in turn released a Scratch Cat Pokémon, wearing a pair of brown boots and a purple, feathered cap onto the field.

"A Meowth, huh?" Dawn muttered, obviously taken aback by the sight of the same species of Pokémon that she had become so accustomed to due to Team Rocket. "I think I have an idea", she then smiled.

"Ok begin!" the referee declared.

"Ok Meowth, let's start off with a Slash attack!" Tyson's Meowth sharped its razor sharp claws and sprinted across the battlefield towards Dawn's Piplup.

"Stop him with Bubblebeam!" Dawn shouted in response, the Piplup opened its beak and fired a continuous stream of blue coloured bubbles towards the Meowth. The bubbles exploded upon impact with the small cream coloured feline Pokémon which sent it flying backwards and away from Dawn's Pokémon. "Yes!" Dawn cried, "keep it up with Peck!" The overly proud Water-typed Pokémon ran over to Tyson's Meowth and began to jab at it with its beak, which inflicted even more damage to the Pokémon.

"Enough!" Tyson bellowed, "hit back with Iron Tail!" His Meowth raked its sharped claws across Piplup's face, who howled and stumbled back in pain as it clutched its small face. The feline then used the opportunity to quickly jump back to its feet, the Pokémon's curled tail then began to glow a bright, silver colour before the Meowth used its tail to strike its foe across the face and thus inflicted more damage.

"_Double trouble for Dawn and her Piplup! Can she regain the momentum?" _

"Use Hydro Pump!" Dawn quickly ordered, her Piplup instantly responded to the order by firing a large, highly pressurised stream of water towards its opponent.

"Use Double Team", Tyson coolly countered, his Meowth hastily formed illusionary copies of itself which were intended to fool and distract its opponent, "Ok, now use Slash!" The numerous copies of the cat Pokémon ran towards its foe while readying its paws.

"Use Hydro Pump to get rid of all the copies!" The Piplup redirected its arc of fire to disintegrate each copy with its Hydro Pump attack.

"Do it now!" Tyson shouted, the real Meowth emerged from the quickly disappearing battalion of doppelgängers and slashed both of its paws across the face of Dawn's Pokémon who was left to clutch its face in utter agony.

"Fight back with Peck!" Dawn cried.

"Go head to head with Fury Swipes!" Tyson retorted as he folded his arms across his chest. The two Pokémon then engaged in a fairly brutal, close range brawl with Piplup repeatedly pecking the Meowth with its beak while the feline responded in kind by slashing back with its claws.

"_Well this isn't really what you'd expect from a renowned co-ordinator and a former Hoenn League Champion, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do" _

"Piplup use Bubblebeam!" Dawn cried with a desperate sense of urgency, her small Pokémon instantly fired a stream of highly explosive bubbles towards Tyson's Pokémon. Due to the point-blank range of the attack the bubbles instantly exploded in the face of the Meowth who fell to the ground. "Ok use Peck again!" Dawn's Piplup stood over its fallen foe and prepared to stab the feline with its sharpened beak.

"Roll out the way!" Tyson roared, his Meowth quickly rolled away from the water typed penguin who had accidently jabbed its beak into the soft battlefield ground. The Pokémon's beak sunk into the soft soil underneath the grass, and despite the desperate attempt to free itself, the Piplup had left itself open for attack.

"_Oh dear, this is Tyson's chance! He can end this right now!" _

"Meowth, use Slash!" Tyson ordered in a hasty, yet slightly confident tone. The feline creature glistened its razor sharp claws before running at full speed towards Dawn's ensnared Pokémon.

"Come on Piplup! Please hurry!" Dawn whimpered. Her Piplup managed to eventually free itself from its predicament, but almost instantly suffered a vicious slash across its chest courtesy of its opponent's attack. The Piplup was forced to stumble back in pain while it pathetically clutched its chest. It was clear that the Pokémon was on the verge of defeat.

"Enough!" Tyson bellowed with a deep, defiant tone, "Meowth use Thunderbolt to end this battle!" His Meowth briefly charged a massive current of electricity within its body before unleashing it upon Dawn's helpless Piplup. At first, the Piplup's proud nature compelled it to step forward in a final valiant show of dignity. However, the sustained electrical attack overwhelmed the Pokémon who fainted as a result.

"Piplup is unable to battle! Meowth is the winner and the match goes to Tyson from Mauville City!" the referee declared.

After quickly recalling her fallen Pokémon and exchanging post-match pleasantries with her opponent, Dawn quickly retreated from the battlefield and began the lonely journey back to the lockeroom.

* * *

><p>After the battle, Dawn slowly and somberly walked back to her looker room, it had been a disappointing loss for the teenager, but the reality was that her Pokémon where inferior to her opponent's. She opened the door to the room to be greeted with the sight of Ash sat cross-legged in the center of the room with his back facing the door. The raven haired teenager was stroking the fur of his Pikachu who lay across his legs.<p>

"Ash, you are here?" Dawn said in a somewhat surprised tone.

"Dawn!" Ash beamed as he quickly leapt to his feet and ran over to his friend, "hard luck in the battle. Tyson is a really tough trainer; he's the one who eliminated me from the Hoenn League all those years ago."

"Where are the others?" Dawn asked, intentionally changing the subject away from the battle.

"All of us where on our way down to wait for you, but Chris, Josh and Brock where distracted by some sort of news report on a television in the stadium lobby. I wasn't too interested so I came here by myself", Ash chuckled.

"Oh… I see", Dawn said in quite a sad tone, the sapphire haired teenager bit her bottom lip and awkwardly shuffled her feet.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" Ash asked with a heavy tone of concern for his friend.

"Ash…." Dawn trembled while her bottom lip quivered, "Am I a good trainer?" She asked as she walked closer to the Pallet Town native and buried her face into his right shoulder.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa" Ash muttered while his face turned into a bright red beetroot colour, "Why- why would… you say that?" He then awkwardly replied.

"Because I lost this match ... and ... I lost the Grand Festival … I'll never win", she mumbled in between sobs.

"Oh come on Dawn" Ash retorted in a reassuring tone as he grabbed her feminine shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I believe in you Dawn, I know it seems tough, but you have to keep fighting", he continued, "and remember, there's no need to worry!" he then cried with a grin.

"Thanks Ash, you know how to make a girl feel better" Dawn then replied with a smile, she then lifted her head and gazed into Ash's hazel coloured eyes. The duo then suffered a brief awkward moment of silence while they realised that they stood face-to-face in each other's embrace.

"Turn on the bloody television!" Chris' booming voice yelled as he burst through the door, "turn the bloody thing on now!" The appearance of the tall blonde haired teen caused Dawn and Ash to quickly let go of each other while awkwardly staring at Chris' antics.

"It's over here!" Josh responded as he ran over to the right hand side of the room and turned on the wall-mounted monitor.

"Brock, what's going on?" Ash asked to his friend who appeared in the door after the two Moore brothers.

"It's not good", Brock grimaced with a concerned expression etched across his face.

"Turn it to Global Today News!" Chris barked.

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Josh protested dismissively as he fumbled around with the remote.

"Can someone please explain what is going on?" Dawn pleaded.

"Got it!" Josh cried triumphantly as he successful tuned the television to the news channel.

"_If you are just joining us I can confirm that a nuclear device has exploded in a rural area of Orre, wiping out several villages and the suspected headquarters of the paramilitary Pokémon Liberation Organisation. Details are unclear at this time, but the death toll is expected to be in the thousands. We expect a statement from President Winters' soon."_

**AN: **

**Remember to review! **

_**Shoutouts go to the following people;**_

_**Captain Price- an awesome writer and an awesome person. I hold his thoughts and opinions in high regard and I highly recommend that you check out his "Becoming the Master" story.**_

_**Flashfire 360- one of my oldest and dearest internet-friends (if that's even a thing). After 3 years or so of putting up with my terrible jokes and rants it's a wonder how he still tolerates me.**_

… _**and to Nobel Six, my official sidekick/partner in crime**_

**Hopefully that last scene wasn't too cringe-worthy, but I have just as much experience in romance as I do in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. **

**tfw no gf **


	14. Round 2, Part 2

**AN:**

**The things that have happened in my life since the last update would be enough to fill an entire novel, I'll spare you the details but things have been going extremely well for me and I'm a good place with my life. However, this has unfortunately meant that I've had little time for this site and although I've swore on multiple occasions that I'd give up writing, I never seem able to completely walk away. **

**But now that I have returned, I'm laying down some ground rules:**

**Chapters will be short, sweet and to the point**

**The story will be expedited along, I originally envisioned a trilogy but that's not going to happen. **

**As much as I love writing battles, they are far too time consuming, so they will be cut down in length. **

**I am nearing my 20****th**** birthday so if I suddenly disappear without explanation and never return, I'm not dead, and it's just life. **

Chapter 14: Round 2, Part 2

"…what" Ash muttered in a dumbfounded tone as he watched the TV in front of him. The implications of the event were clearly ambiguous to the naïve teenager. Ash quickly glanced around the room, Dawn had clasped her right hand around her mouth in sheer shock while Brock awkwardly rubbed his chin while he tried to make sense of the situation. Josh, the younger Moore brother watched the screen intently with a rather stoic expression. Ash then looked over to Chris, who's heavy, laboured breathing filled the room, the teenager gazed at the TV with an unending look of anger.

"There's no question of who done this", Chris suddenly stated as he broke the conspicuous silence.

"Huh?" Ash responded innocently, "what do you mean?"

"Without a shadow of a doubt it was those terrorists, the PLO, the Pokémon Liberation Organisation, that group is a radical organisation devoted to the 'liberation' of Pokémon from humans. They try to reconcile their absolutely fanatical Marxist ideology and their absolutely limitless disregard for human life. They are the only people crazy enough to do this". Chris angrily declared as he turned to Ash and stared straight into his eyes.

"Didn't you hear the news you eejit? Their base was blown up as well! How could they have done this?" Josh quickly retorted.

"Oh come on, you know _exactly_ what they are like, they are always looking to make martyrs of themselves. It's time for the military to intervene!" Chris defiantly replied, "It's time to send these scum back to the Stone Age!"

"Chris, what did I say about your angry, traditionalist rants? It's like you are a hybrid version of Oswald Spengler and Friedrich Nietzsche", Josh sighed while he face-palmed.

"I don't get it", Dawn interrupted.

"Get what?" Chris quickly replied in a deeply agitated tone.

"How does stuff like this happen?" Dawn responded, obviously taken aback by Chris' words.

"The world isn't a nice place, despite what they want you to think. People live, people die… life isn't fun and games. It should be the role of the government to protect the natural order of things and to protect its civilians. Of course if they weren't so damn corrupt they could …"

"Ok, that's enough from you", Josh angrily seethed as he pushed his much older brother out of the room with surprising strength, despite his older brother's protests.

* * *

><p>"So what now?" Brock asked as the group left the stadium and entered the park area surrounding the arena. Groups of people and Pokémon alike stood around going about their daily lives, apparently unconcerned about the events unfolding in the far away region of Orre.<p>

"Not much" Chris shrugged, apparently unconcerned with the question.

"How can you say that?" Ash asked incredulously.

"Nobody thinks, nobody cares. No beliefs, no convictions and no enthusiasm…" Chris retorted in a deep, bitter tone, "Why care about something that has happened half way across the world when you can just live in a world of conspicuous consumption where the only thing that matters is Starbucks, nightclubs and the latest smartphone".

"You don't have a lot of faith in people do you", Dawn asked innocently.

"You see I learnt at an early age what it was to be angry - angry and helpless. And I can never forget it. I knew more about - love... betrayal... and death, when I was ten years old than you will probably ever know in your life." Chris retaliated in a deep, gruff tone of voice. "Human nature is an incredibly selfish thing".

"I disagree" Ash replied in a much more optimistic enthusiasm. "Some people are good, some people are not so good. But I think there is some good in everybody".

"I admire your positivity and optimism Ash, I really do" Chris responded with a curt nod, "but the world doesn't work that way, bad things happen for a reason, evil exists because free will exists."

"Stop it!" Josh yelled angrily, "enough of this bloody philosophy, we need to find out what is going on with the tournament. I'm scheduled to have a match and I want to know if it's still on!"

* * *

><p>"Charlie, what are the latest reports?" President Winters panted as he briskly walked down from his private residential suite in his presidential palace to the press briefing room that was situated on the opposite side of the building.<p>

"Latest casualty reports sir", Charlie rasped as he attempted to keep up with the President's brisk pace.

"Ok, let's hear it"

"Uh-ok", the young aide murmured as he quickly scanned the page. "Thankfully it was a low yield warhead in a very remote region of Orre, unless there was a significant presence of campers in the vicinity, then civilian death should be minimal."

"Thank God, that's good news", the President sighed in a content tone.

"Our meteorologists predict that nuclear fallout would be minimal as there is no significant weather fronts moving through the area, meaning that there should be no significant dispersal of nuclear materials."

"Excellent, it obviously isn't as bad as we originally thought, ok contact the Joint Chiefs, I want a military assessment as soon as possible", the President responded as he walked up to the door leading into the press briefing room. "How do I look?" He asked as he shot a toothy grin.

"Perfectly serviceable sir", Charlie replied with his own smile, it was no secret that the President had aged terribly since he had been elected. His once youthful looks had been scarred by the appearance of a permanent five o'clock shadow on his face. In addition to this, his bright blue eyes were deeply contrasted by blotchy red spots beneath his eyes that denoted a significant lack of sleep.

"I know that you are lying Charlie", Winters shot back in a half serious, half sarcastic tone, "it ain't easy being President".

"They never said it would be", Charlie retorted, which in turn drew a solemn and self-resigned nod from the President.

"Let's get this over and done with". The President, opened the door to the room and walked up to the podium where he would address the media.

"I have a statement to make, please, no questions", the President coughed which caused the press corps in the room to groan in displeasure. President Winter's chose to ignore the reaction and instead raised his head to face the TV cameras at the back of the room.

"For the first time since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a nuclear weapon has been utilised as a destructive weapon. Though those predominately opposed to our way of life are the main victims of this act, we cannot understate the massive importance of this event in the history of mankind. At this time, details are unclear, and no legitimate government or organisation has claimed responsibility. Based on the best guesses of our intelligence community, we can only assume that our worst fear, our deepest, darkest nightmare has come true… those seeking to destroy us and our way of life have one way or another come into the possession of a viable nuclear device." The President was suddenly interrupted by an intense, but brief coughing fit that caused him to keel over, "but all is not lost", he continued as he cleared his throat and regained his posture. "We must not allow our fears to dictate to us how we must live, a great man once stated that 'the only thing we have to fear is fear itself'. To this principle, we must remain true. We cannot allow our lives to be disrupted. And to this, I say to the organisers to the Pokémon World League being hosted by Championship Isle just off the boundary of Sevii Islands, do not let this event impede the rousing success of our best and young trainers striving to become the best they can be…"

* * *

><p>"Well that settles that then. Everything is back too normal", Josh sighed. The gang had made their way into a small café near the stadium district of Celebration City, and they were sat around a table watching the President's speech on a television.<p>

"Yeah, it looks like your battle is still on then", Ash nodded.

"Let's go. I told you that people wouldn't care about what happened" Chris grunted as he drank the rest of his Diet Coke, the agitated teenager slammed his glass into the table and stomped out of the building.

"Gee, what's his problem", Ash asked

"He cares too much, he'll calm down eventually", Josh insisted with a wave of his hand.

* * *

><p>"<em>Welcome back ladies and gentlemen to this match between Joshua Moore of Twinleaf Town and Nando, the wandering minstrel!"<em>Mitchell stated through the stadium's announcement system. _"At first Josh's Gallade easily overcame Nando's Lopunny, Nando countered with his Armaldo who defeated the Gallade and subsequently beat Josh's Luxio. The young trainer then sent out his Dusclops who beat its weakened foe"._

"Roserade, let's go!" Nando cried as he lobbed a Pokėball Into the air which in turn released a bipedal, cream and green coloured Pokémon that wore masquerade attire onto the astroturf field.

"Begin!" the referee declared.

"Roserade, use Stun Spore!" Nando ordered while he played a brief melody on his Mew-shaped harp.

"Not so fast!" Josh quickly countered, "Cyclops, use Shadow Sneak!" As a result of the blonde haired teenager's orders, the Dusclops seemingly disappeared into thin air before its foe had the chance to launch its attack. Suddenly, the Ghost type Pokémon reappeared behind the Roserade and tackled it into the ground. "Follow up with Fire Punch!"

"Roll out of the way!" Nando hastily retorted, his Boutique Pokémon managed to escape from its foe before it could attack. "Now use Poison Jab", the trainer continued in a much more calm tone. The boutique of flowers on the end of the creature's arm started to glow a bright and sickly purple colour, and the Pokémon sprinted towards its foe.

"Fire Punch!" Josh yelled while the single-eyed Ghost typed Pokémon's right arm became coated in a fierce aura of flames. "Ok, hit him now!" The Dusclops then ran closer to its opponent and prepared to land a devastating punch.

"Roll beneath it and hit him from behind!" The Roserade elegantly evaded the attack by tumbling beneath its opponent's fiery haymaker. Once the Grass typed Pokémon had positioned itself behind the foe, it then used the poison-tipped boutiques on its arms to repeatedly jab the Dusclops in the back which caused the ghost to fall face forward into the ground.

"_Both Pokémon have impressive agility, it will be interesting to see who prevails in this matchup", _Mitchell noted.

"Let's proceed with another Poison Jab", Nando coolly responded, his Pokémon stood over its opponent and prepared to inflict more damage.

"Use Shadow Sneak to get out of the way!" Josh bellowed, his one-eyed Pokémon once again vanished and reappeared behind Nando's Roserade. However, the green coloured Pokémon anticipated the maneuverer and as soon as the Dusclops materialised, it was met with one solid, uppercut.

"Cyclops, no!" Josh screamed in horror as he witnessed his Pokémon stumble backwards, quite clearly in a dazed state of mind from the attack.

"Now use Magical Leaf!" Roserade responded to Nando's calm and collected command by firing a constant volley of multi-coloured, razor sharp leaves directly towards Josh's vulnerable Pokémon. The leaves cut deep into the skin of the ghost and left dozens of gashes and bruises across its body leaving the Dusclops to recoil in pain.

"Come on! You need to fight back!" Josh shouted in desperation, "Use Shadow Ball!" The Beckon Pokémon weakly raised its two hands and hastily prepared a purple and black coloured orb of energy.

"Cut him off with Poison Jab!" Nando retorted, with a growing confidence in his voice. His Roserade then charged across the field.

"Quick, switch to Fire Punch!" The Dusclops then used its fists, which had been completely coated with fire to land a direct hit to the face of Nando's Pokémon, instantly rendering it unconscious.

"Roserade is unable to battle! Dusclops is the winner! The winner of this match is Joshua Moore!" the referee declared.

"Oh hell yeah!" Josh cried as he pumped his fist into the air, "we did it!" The blonde haired trainer ran onto the field and embraced his Pokémon in celebration.

* * *

><p>"One coffee please, two sugars and make it strong" Paul grumbled, the purple haired teenager was in one of his usual sour moods. He hastily handed over the required amount of money for the cup of coffee and within moments he had carryout cup in his hand, with a shrug of his shoulders, the trainer walked away from the vendor cart.<p>

"A penny for your thoughts?" Reggie asked with a rather amused expression on his hard, but still youthful face.

"Oh just the usual", Paul responded with a gruff tone. "This tournament has yet to offer a serious challenge. I'm bitterly disappointed", he continued before he took a small sip from his coffee. "Ugh, this is far too weak", the trainer then angrily commented before throwing the cup into a bin.

"Paul, you've only had two matches, and yes, you won both of them, but your next battle is against Gary Oak, the grandson of the famed Professor Oak".

"We will see about that, the Oak family may have my respect, but I believe my strategy will overcome someone who doesn't even battle competitively these days" Paul replied in a somewhat agitated tone.

"Yeah but…" the older brother retorted before he was cut off by a dismissive wave of his brother's hand.

"Hang on", Paul declared, "I know that guy"

"Wait, what?"

"That one", Paul said as he pointed towards a blonde haired male, with noticeable high placed cheekbones, who was walking up the street towards them.

"Hello Paul" the stranger beamed with a warm, but coy grin.

"Doug" Paul mumbled in a deeply uncomfortable tone.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Reggie chuckled as he looked at the new arrival.

"I'm Doug Stevens, but my friends call me Soto" the teenager laughed heartily as he extended his hand out politely towards Reggie in an offer for a handshake. Doug wore a light blue t-shirt underneath a sky blue coloured jacket in addition to a pair of grey cargo pants.

"Nice to meet you", Reggie responded as he shook Doug's hand.

"What do you want?" Paul rudely interrupted in a hasty tone.

"I was wondering if you want to battle" Doug responded, seemingly ignoring Paul's rudeness.

"I have nothing to prove against you, and you know it", Paul barked, "I would battle you, but it would almost be a waste of my time."

"That's a pity" Doug muttered, "I feel like I owe you one"

"Too bad" Paul grumped with a deeply agitated tone, "Maybe we'll meet in the tournament, but I doubt you'd make it too far". The purple haired teen then abruptly walked away from Doug and restarted his journey down the street.

"He seemed fairly nice" Reggie said as he followed behind his brother.

"Respect isn't a God-given right, you have to earn it. It's a pity so few people realise this, and as such, my respect is limited to very few people", Paul arrogantly retorted with a defiant wave of his hand.

* * *

><p>"Congratulations on the win little brother", Chris said in somewhat patronising tone as he ruffled his siblings hair. The group had met Josh back in the stadium's locker room area<p>

"Get off you jackass"

"Damn man, that's cold", Chris said feigning hurt.

"Aren't you even concerned about your own match, Chris?" Ash asked

"The match? Against Bryon? Hah, you make me laugh Ketchum. If that senile old fool insists on using his beloved Steel-types, I'll just have to use Pyro to melt them into scrap metal."

"You seem over confident" Dawn replied.

"Over confident? He borders on megalomania", Josh snorted, obviously amused by his own wit.

"It's not a delusion, if you back it up, and trust me, I _intend _to back it up", Chris insisted in a very determined demeanour as he clutched his two hands into fists.

**AN:**

**Remember to review! Feedback is vital to me.**

**Join in next time to see Chris' next battle and another battle involving a reviewer's OC. **

**Doug Stevens is an OC belonging to Billy Maiden.**


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